


Behind the Eyes

by ChaoticMind (ChloeCasey)



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: AU-No Portal jumping Ford, Blood and Violence, Demon Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Magic, dark themes, triangle bill
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-10 19:26:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 26
Words: 152,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10445634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChloeCasey/pseuds/ChaoticMind
Summary: When Dipper and Mabel were sent up to Gravity Falls to be with their two Great Uncles for the summer, they had no idea what to expect. After all, the town was nigh unheard of by many, and was barely on any maps.But when they get there, things seem to be normal for the most part. Friendly Great Uncles, lovable townspeople, even a huge forest for them to explore!However, not everything is as it seems. Not everything is so joyful.And the Twins are going to find that out very soon.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I know, you haven't heard from me in a long while. Well, I'm back, and I swear I will finish this Fic. It's one I've been brewing for a while, and with my co-writing girlfriend, the process of writing will be much easier! 
> 
> Enjoy!

The sharp sound of tires screeching fills the forest air, the bus kicking up clouds of dust and loose dirt as it squeals to a stop, a few seconds passing before the doors fold up, opening to allow the passengers out. Immediately a blur of pink and brown barrels out of the vehicle, dramatically collapsing onto the grass with loud gasps of air. "Fiiiiiinally!! We've been on that bus for _HOURS_!!"  
The girl flops onto her back, stretching out her limbs and proceeding to make a dirt-angel, not caring that she can feel bugs crawl into her hair and that the dirt is severely smudging her bright pink sweater. Meanwhile, a boy was struggling to carry both suitcases off of the bus, his worn down green trucker cap nearly falling off his head in the process. He glances over at his sister, looking slightly amused at her antics.

"Not to interrupt your reunion with the Earth, Mabel, but I'm having trouble here lifting our stuff. Could you give me a hand; I feel like my arms are being pulled from the sockets." The boy accentuates his point by trying to lift up both suitcases, to which they only manage to lift a few inches off the steps of the bus. The driver is waiting rather impatiently, drumming his fingers on the wheel, checking his watch. Mabel giggles at the sight of her brother struggling, and gets to her feet, walking over and grabbing her suitcase from his fingers. Said case was covered in stickers and glitter, no doubt stuffed with yarn, glitter, and other art equipment.

"Here yo go, Dippin-Dots, that should help your arms stay in place. Now, come on, the town has to be near here." She gives Dipper a friendly punch in the shoulder, before starting to walk down the dirt pathway, humming to herself quietly, a definite pep in her step. Dipper rubbed his smarting shoulder while his sister wasn't looking, then proceeded to grab his things and trot after her, one hand against his hat so it doesn't accidentally fall off. The bus driver watches them for a second, then turns the vehicle around and speeds off, a little too fast for it to be considered normal. Both twins didn't see this however, and merely walked down the path, occasionally glancing around to take in all of the forest in.

Dipper was the first to break the silence, adjusting his cap slightly as they walked along. "So, how are we supposed to know who Grunkle Stan and Ford are? I mean, they weren't at the bus stop, so they must be somewhere in town, right?"

Mabel hums slightly at this, tapping her chin in thought for a few seconds. "Hmmm...Maybe if we ask someone in town?"

"How would they know, though? I mean, sure, it is a small town, but they don't always have really tight communities like TV says they do. There could be a chance of them not having any idea who Grunkle Stan and Ford are. What do we do then?" Dipper furrows his brow, looking forward, expression showing concern.

Mabel was silent for a few seconds, and was about to answer, when the sound of a police siren filled the air. Both twins blinked in confusion, and quickly moved to the side of the path, just as a small car with a police symbol on the side drove over the road, coming to a stop just beside them. Dipper exchanged glances with Mabel as the window rolled down, showing a rather pudgy man wearing dark glasses and a sheriff's outfit, a much more skinny-looking man sitting next to him in the passenger seat. The sheriff was silent for a few moments before speaking up, tone rather flat and almost nervous. "Hello there, you two. Are you lost at all? We would be glad to drive you back to the mainland."

Dipper stares for a few moments, then glances at Mabel, who looks equally confused. He steps forward toward the car, putting his suitcase down for the moment. "No, sir, we're not lost at all. In fact, we were sent here by our parents for the summer. Do you happen to know two men that go by the name of Stanley and Stanford Pines?"

All at once, the cop's demeanor immediately changes, body going stiff as if in shock, and the other officer in the other seat lets out a very audible gasp. That alone should've answered Dipper's question, and it wasn't even two seconds before the officer had unlocked the back doors. "Well, why didn't you just say you were related to good ol' Stanford? Hop in, we'll give you a ride right to him!"

Mabel blinks for a second, and then squeals happily, throwing her things inside and climbing onto the backseat, taking the right window seat. "Oooh! Police escort! This is awesome!"

Dipper stares, a little more hesitant then his sister, but after a few seconds, he caves and climbs into the car too, shutting the door and fastening his seatbelt on. He glances up at the Sheriff, who glances at both him and Mabel from the side of his eyes. "Let me introduce ourselves. The folks around here call me Sheriff Blubs, and this is my deputy and partner, Durland. We're good friends of Stanford, having worked with him in the past."

Dipper tilts his head and opens his mouth to talk, but Mabel beats him to it, gasping loudly and shooting up in her seat. "Wait, you _worked_ with Grunkle Ford?! Is he, like, a crime fighter, or a detective or something?"

That got Blubbs to laugh, and Durland chuckles a bit as well, both of them grinning rather widely. "No, not exactly. He's more like...pest control then anything. See, you can guess that not a lot of crime goes down in these parts, what with the limited population of the town, and the fact that everyone knows each other's names here. So, we police focus more on dealing with the...rather odd wildlife around here then any actual law breakers. And your Great Uncle Stanford just happens to be the best expert we got."

Dipper hums after a few seconds, brow furrowing. "And Grunkle Stanley? What about him?"

Blub's expression seems to sour slightly, and he flaps a hand as they drive their way into town. A lot of the locals stop what they were doing and stare as the car drives by, looking curious. "Oh, yeah. Stanley doesn't really do anything. He just sort of took up residence here one day and never went into town. Stanford built him a house to live in, but other then that, that man does nothing."

Mabel tilts her head, brow furrowing as her smile fades a bit. "Huh. That's weird." She glances at Dipper who nods in agreement, both of them blinking when the car edges to a stop, on the forest's edge. Outside were two houses, one looking rather nicely built, with two stories and decorated with triangular windows, but other then that, it was normal.

The other house was definitely different, looking like it jumped right out of a spirituality book; the entirety of the front porch was decorated with odd knick-knacks. Dream catchers hanging from the edge of the porch roof, odd polished stones and crystals resting on the edges of the stairs, parchments with weird drawings and symbols on them hanging on the walls, even scented candles with the wax set aflame resting on a lone coffee table.

Blubs gets out of the car, and walks toward that house in particular, not even blinking at the odd sights, while Dipper stares in confusion at all the decor, brow furrowed. What even was all of that? What was it for? Was that Stanford's house, and why did he have all of that?

He's snapped out of his musings when the door to that house flings open, Blubs being nowhere near it, said Sheriff growing a big smile on his face. "Hello, Stanford! We came here to drop off your grand niece and nephew for you. Poor things were on the edges of town, fresh off the bus. Heh, boy, are you lucky that we found them befo-Erhm!" Blubs suddenly cuts himself off with a cough, grin suddenly looking slightly nervous, and he shifts a little as a figure walks out onto the porch.

Dipper's jaw nigh drops when he catches a glimpse of Grunkle Ford, in shock. The man wore a solid brown trench coat, along with a red turtle-neck underneath, a belt strapped to his black pants. Said belt was coated in odd gear, even one that suspiciously looked like a gun, and the boy swallows slightly, a tingle going up his spine. Ford's eyes weren't visible, hidden behind a silver sheen that his glasses gave off thanks to the light, and the whole sight was honestly rather intimidating. Ford stood motionless, the wind ruffling the bottom of his coat, and it looked like Blubs was ready to bolt in the opposite direction.

Ford turns his head to the car, glasses finally clearing to show his eyes, and his face lights up in a huge grin.

The tension breaks and Mabel bounds out the door, effortlessly yanking her suitcase behind her as she runs to her grunkle; Dipper allows a small grin to brighten his face as he leaves the car, his own pack slung over his shoulder. The porch stairs, edges lined with candles and multicolored wax, provide Ford with a luxurious path to the common ground. Almost immediately, Mabel bowls into him, nearly knocking him to the ground with the strength of her hug. She giggles at the bemused look on his face and lets go. "The name's Mabel. Wow, you're tall, Grunkle Stanford!"

Dipper fidgets with his pack as he walks over. "Dont worry. She's always like this. She loves meeting new people. Dipper Pines." He extends a hand to his Grunkle, who smiles as they shake hands.

At first, Dipper doesnt notice it. His Grunkle's hand is much larger than his own, and of neither cold or hot temperatures. But it... feels off. Something about the way he grips his hand? He glances at their joined hands, eyes widening.

"You have an extra finger?" He immediately notes the interrogative tone and stammers to explain. "I mean, of course you do - it's obvious - I've just never-"

Mabel lets out a loud gasp, nearly slapping Dipper's hand out of the way so she can see for herself. "Whoa! Six fingers! That's, like, two times awesomer than a normal hand! Oh, you've gotta see Dipper's birthmark: it's the weirdest thing ever. C'mon, Dip, just for a moment!"

Both Ford and Blubs watch the two twins as they suddenly begin fighting over Dipper's hat. By the time either of them recover their sense enough to stop them, Dipper is practically in a headlock with his hair pushed up, exposing his forehead.

Ford was holding back a giggle as he watched the twins tussle, only to blink, his eyes widening a bit at the sight of the mark. He grins and leans forward slightly, hand rubbing at his chin thoughtfully. "Fascinating. It's an exact imitation, no stars missing or out of place at all." He leans back, humming slightly, before his face lights up. He holds up a finger, darting back into his house. "Hold on just a minute!"

Blubs was smiling a little, and he tips his hat before heading back to his car. Durland was waiting with a soft smile, watching the Twins with an amused expression, before glancing at Blubs, his voice lowering as to not be heard. "We better tell the others about this. Ford will be mighty cross if anything happens." Blubs merely nods and starts up the car, heading back down the dirt road.

From behind a curtain in the first house, a figure watches, teeth gritted slightly.

Dipper straightens himself as Mabel grins widely, obviously satisfied with having captured Dipper's hat with such ease. Rather than dwelling on the lost battle, Dipper inspects the multitude of candles on the steps. The wax seems to be from many candles placed over each other as they were used to excess, and a subtle, unidentifiable fragrance permeates the area around the layered wax. Perhaps Grunkle Ford lit them every night? He isnt sure why, but he wants to know the reason for that.

There is a more pressing matter, though.

"Hey, Mabel? Where do you think Grunkle Stanley is?"

She shrugs, still smiling. "Maybe he's out getting a cake for a welcoming party." Her eyes shine eagerly at the thought.

Dipper lets out a small chuckle. "Yeah, i suppose our bus was a little early. Which is something else. I thought those buses always ran late."

"It's probably nothing, Dippin Dots. If Grunkle Stanley isn't out shopping or something, then he's probably over in the other house." She points over to the first house.

"Oh. Right." He flushes ever so slightly, cursing his wild imagination. He appraises the other house again.

The door to the first house suddenly opens, and a similar old man to Ford was seen, peeking his head out, and looking around, in an almost paranoid fashion. He wore a weird red fez, that had an crescent mark on it, a stained wife-beater, and blue boxers, as well as pink slippers. He definitely didn't seem to be expecting any guests, much less grand-niblings, as his eyes widen upon seeing the kids. He shifts almost awkwardly, clearing his throat, clearly nervous. "Uhh..Hey, you two. Wasn't expecting you to be so early."

Dipper offers him a smile. "Heh. Neither were we. Say, uh-"

"Dipper! They're identical twins! This is amazing!" Mabel runs over to Stan, giving him a similar hug to the one she gave Ford. Dipper chuckles and follows her.

"Mabel, let him breath. Or do you want him to keel over?"

She releases him with another giggle. "Sorry! Im just so excited. We're gonna meet so many people, Dipper!" At this, she grips his shoulders. "And it's _summer_ , Dipper! Everyone goes to the west coast in the summer!"

Stan definitely wasn't expecting the hug, as he nearly falls over, stumbling before catching the doorway with his hand. He chuckles nervously, giving Mabel a pat on the head. "Geez, aren't you a hard-hitter? Ow." He absentmindedly rubs his stomach, swearing he could feel a bruise forming.

The door to Ford's house kicks open again, and Ford was carrying three odd books, the covers dull and pages old and worn. Stan, seeing this, goes stiff, almost glaring. Ford simply sighs, and nods respectfully. "Stanley."

"Stanford. You didn't tell me they were showing up today." He folds his arms, eyes narrowing.

The earlier tension comes back, but with a more doleful feeling to it. Ford walks closer, tucking his books under an arm and tousling Dipper's hair as he stops next to him. "I thought i gave you the date."

"You only told me that they were coming."

"Oh, well. My mistake then." He tries for a grin, almost the exact same way Dipper had when apologizing for Mabel. "They're here now, though."

Stan takes the momentary olive branch and nods, grinning. "Wanna take them out for dinner tonight, then? It'll be like a welcoming party."

"Oh! I so called it!" Mabel grins in triumph.

Ford laughs a bit at that, and nods. "I know a great place to go to. Ever heard of Greasy's Diner? I'm not sure if its a wide-spread business or not, but it's the best diner in town. Ol' Lazy Susan is going to just love you two." He pats Mabel's head this time before tucking the books into a pocket inside his coat. He glances back at Stan, a little smile gracing his lips.

"You coming with, Stanley?"

"Of course. Let me just get dressed." Stan offers a similar smile and retreats into his house.

Dipper glances back at Ford as the door closes, sitting down on the steps of the porch. "So why do you think my birthmark is fascinating? Does it have to do with those books you had?"

Ford blinks, then smiles, nodding. "Indeed it does. Oh, and don't worry, you'll see what those are later. I try not to have them around Stan; he just thinks they're all full of made up things to make the town not seem like a "dingy outback valley" as he once put it." He makes quotation marks with his fingers, looking quite exasperated.

Mabel sits next to Dipper, kicking her legs energetically. "This place doesnt seem all too bad. Those officers were nice."

"Yes. Stan... has issues with some of the other citizens in town. He can be stubborn, too." Ford scratches his chin slightly, looking off to the side. The twins glance at each other and shrug, simultaneously logging that away for investigation later on.

It wasn't long before Stan walked back outside, looking a tad uncomfortable. He wore a old-looking suit, complete with a tie, and he carries an 8-Ball cane in his left hand. He was adjusting the tie almost nervously, eyes darting around. "So, Uhh...How's this?"

Mabel jumps up, almost clapping her hands. "It's amazing! You could say it really suits you." She chuckles, shortly followed by a snort from Stan. He grins wider.

"Good to know I still have a sense of style." He fiddles with his tie one last time before walking down the steps. Mabel and Dipper follow him. Ford chuckles, glad to see Stan smiling; it was something that never seemed to happen anymore. He adjusts his glasses before following after them, whistling a soft tune under his breath.


	2. Dining Expirences (and a little more)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! Hope you enjoy!

They all approach a car and get inside, heading out to the diner. A short drive and some pitchy tunes later, the group walks into the sweet-smelling restaurant, packed to the brim with the locals. Stan glances around worriedly, fidgeting slightly. Some teens walking by glance at him inquisitively. As they enter the diner, some of the guests glance at the group, grinning at Ford, but not acknowledging Stan. They find seats at a booth table.

The table was stained slightly with dry syrup, and the leather on the booth was worn and torn, but the air was ripe with the smell of pancakes, pie, and bacon. Dipper could feel his stomach rumble, and he exchanged excited glances with Mabel, happy to have a fatty meal. Ford smiles at all the other townspeople, while Stan was intently looking out the window.

An old woman approaches them, dressed in a waitress's outfit, face coated in a light layer of makeup. She seemed friendly, smiling wide at the group, holding a notepad and pen in her hands. She seemed to have a dead eye, one closed fully and not moving. "Aww, nice to see you again, Fordsy! The usual?"

She blinks as she turns her head to the side slightly, seems to just notice the Twins. "Oh, and these must be the grand niece and nephew Blubs was yelling about. Aren't you adorable?" She affectionately pinches Dipper's cheek.

Dipper flushes slightly at the contact, rubbing his cheek while Mabel snickers. Ford grins widely at her. "Yes, they just got here a little while ago from the bus. We'll need a few menus for them, if you can, Susan."

She flashes him an overly bright smile. "Anything for you, deary." She walks to the bar, pulls three menus out of a stack, and returns with them. "Here you all are. Just tell me when you're ready to order."

She then went back into the kitchen to prepare Ford's meal; he had been here so many times she had memorized it by heart. Stan was anxiously drumming his fingers on the table, absentmindedly biting at his pinky nail, while Ford just glances at him. "Stanley, are you ok?"

"Yup. Fine." was the blunt response. Ford simply sighs, before glancing at the kids with a grin. He leans over the table slightly, putting a hand up to his mouth as if to keep a secret. "Word of the wise: try to guess what the mystery ingredient to her coffee omelet is. You'll get a free pie slice straight from the wheel."

He gestures to the pie container, to which Susan was banging on with a fist while balancing a plate in her other hand. "Spin, you dumb pies! Spin!" The other patrons all laugh, smiling wide, and even Ford chuckles.

Mabel's face lights up at the sight of the pies as Dipper flips through the menu looking for the omelette in question. He glances over the description: "2 eggs, butter, cheese, and ???" "I think I got it." Dipper flips through the rest of the menu. "Hey, Mabel, there's a bunch of different pancakes in here."

"Do any of them have sprinkles?" She peers over his shoulder, scanning the page with him.

"No, but you can ask for toppings."

She fist pumps the air. "Yes! This place is awesome!"

Ford smiles a bit more, chuckling. "So, I'm guessing you like sweets, Mabel? Then I might be able to get you a good few deals around here. People here love me, so it'll be easy." He winks, before nodding at Susan who places the plate in front of him.

"Here you go, dear! Anyone else ready to order?" She glances up at Dipper and Mabel, grinning.

Dipper glances at the menu quickly. "I'll have three pancakes."

"And I'll have three pancakes with chocolate chips, whipped cream, and sprinkles!" Mabel beams widely at the waitress, her colorful braces making an appearance.

Susan chuckles in return, jotting down the order. "Quite the original order. Gonna try for my secret ingredient too?" She smiles mischievously.

"Is it sprinkles?" Mabel blurts this out, seeming eager.

"Heheh, no, not sprinkles. Any other guesses?"

Dipper shifts. "Is it, um, coffee?"

Susan gasps. "It's like you read my mind! What kind of pie do you want?"

"Erm. Mabel?"

"Cherry!" 

"Yeah, cherry." He grins. "Oh, uh, can i have some coffee too?"

"Of course! I'll be back with everything shortly."

Stan briefly looks back at Dipper, eyebrow raised skeptically. "What kind of kid drinks coffee?"

Ford meanwhile laughs, taking a sip of iced tea before starting to cut up his own breakfast, consisting of scrambled eggs and hash-browns, plus two strips of bacon. "Let him go, Stanley. He can do whatever he wants, after all, it's summer."

"Yeah, i kinda got hooked on it during the school year." He rubs the back of his neck just as Mabel elbows him in the side. He cringes.

"He's also a total insomniac. Three o'clock, earliest, is when he falls asleep."

"Im not _that_ bad. And it's not necessarily insomnia; i just every now and then have issues."

"You didnt even sleep on the bus."

"Yeah, because you were sleeping on the bus and I didnt want us to miss our stop." The two playfully start shoving each other.

Everyone in the diner suddenly freezes as they hear panicked screams, and only a moment later, two teens rush into the door, gasping for breath, eyes wide with fear. "Stanford! You-You gotta help us! There's...There's a basilisk that tried to eat us, man!"

Ford's gaze immediately sharpens, dropping his fork and standing up, walking toward the two hurriedly. "Nate, Lee, I need you two to calm down. Now, are you bitten anywhere? Did you see it's eyes?"

The latter of the two, named Lee, shakes his head, visibly trembling. "N-No, we aren't bit. Got scratched up some, b-but we're fine. It's still out there by the river, though. What are we gonna do?"

Ford calmy pats Lee on the shoulder. " _You_ aren't going to do anything. Let me take care of this. Kids, you stay here. Susan, get Lee and Nate to the doctor."

Susan nods, looking suddenly worried. Ford runs out the door, leaving everyone to watch. Stan sighs deeply, shaking his head. "Idiot..."

"Did... he say 'basilisk?'" Dipper turns to Stan, an eyebrow raised. Something akin to hope stirs in his chest. He was right. Those idiots at school were wrong, and he could prove it. He could finally prove himself.

Stan exhales, pinching between his eyes as a headache twinged in his temples. "This place isn't entirely normal. In fact, it's probably the exact opposite of normal. But... Yeah. He said basilisk. And he means basilisk."

Mabel turns to him, and grins widely. She leans closely, putting a hand up to whisper. "You wanna go see our great uncle fight a snake monster?" She could tell Dipper was excited, and honestly, so was she.

Stan immediately catches on. "You two are not going to try and help them with this. It's dangerous."

Mabel pouts slightly. "We just wanna see what happens."

"Basilisk can turn you into stone and spit acid. And you two are only twelve. It wouldn't be responsible for me to let you chase after them."

"But...?" Dipper leans forward, pulling at the slightest weakness in his argument.

Mabel winks at him, and pulls out a fistful of something out of her sweater pocket. "Hey, Stan, I have a weird golden penny I wanted to show you."

Stan blinks, confused by the sudden change. "A golden penny? What exactly-"

With a forceful blow, Mabel sends bright pink glitter careening right into Stan's face, grabbing Dipper's arm. "Eat Attack Glitter, sucka! Let's move, Dip-Dots!" She jumps over her seat and runs out the door, pulling Dipper with her.

Dipper stumbles at her quick pace before gaining his footing and burst out of the door with her. He digs his heels into the ground, pulling her to the right as she moves to go to the left. "This way! Forests form around rivers."

They rush toward the forest as the diner doors slam open. "Kids!" Cursing fills the air.

Mabel is giggling widely as she runs, hopping over bushes and roots with the ease of a bunny. "This is so exciting! You think there'll be blood? Or guts? I wonder if basilisk have another blood color!"

Dipper nods, grinning giddily as he follows her. "It's entirely possible. Especially given its theorized parenthood." Dipper glances at the sky through the trees, identifying the position of the moon before continuing their trek into the woods. He wondered why those teens had asked for Ford's help specifically. And why they were in the woods in the first place. There was a curfew in the town, right?

Soon, large claw marks and damaged trees were starting to be seen. The air stunk of rotting foliage, and Mabel lifts a hand to her ear. A soft screeching rang in the distance. They quietly shuffle closer to the noise, hiding behind a fallen tree when they decide they're close enough. Branches crunch under the weight of a creature at least the size of a deer, the acrid stench of its breath growing heavier by the moment.

Ford was dodging globs of acid that was flying through the air, teeth gritted as purple flames spark from his hands. He was shouting in some gibberish, possibly Latin, and his eyes were flashing with random colors behind his glasses. The basilisk roars, lunging at him with wickedly sharp teeth and talons. The twins watch as the creature and their grunkle fight, neither willing to make much noise. Ford manages to send an arc of lightning into one of the lizard's grey eyes, making it instantly explode into a gooey, blue-blooded mass. The beast screams in pain, clawing at its face in agony.

The basilisk writhes, flailing and screaming, its tail hitting several trees. It launches a sphere of acid at Ford, missing by a good few feet, and rapidly sends out several other in angry retaliation. Ford spritely dodges them, but stops when he hears a pair of shouts and the twins hurdle over their log. The beast hisses at them, readying itself for another attack- Lightning strikes at its side, sending it into a tree. "What are you two _doing_ here!? You're supposed to be with Stan!" Grunkle Ford is clearly distressed by their presence, and borderline pissed off.

The twins easily shrug off the fury. "We wanted to see you fight a basilisk."

"We thought itd be really neat."

"But maybe we should talk about this later, since that thing isn't going to be down much longer."

Before Ford can respond, the basilisk lunges, snapping its fangs blindly, one eye rolling around in its socket, tail lashing. Ford curses, rolling out of the way and tossing a dagger, managing to nail the basilisk in its remaining eye. "Go!" He nearly glares at the twins, pointing back to the town. "This thing is too dangerous!" The two glance at each other as the basilisk writhes, trying to get the dagger out of its eye. Then they hightail it out of there, figuring that yes, acid spitting, petrifying snakes are a little beyond them.

Not that it would help them: basilisks are creatures of intelligence and lust. The only thing it wants is food. And currently one of the group is running slower and smelled surprisingly enticing. The beast whips its body once, somehow striking Ford by surprise, and unfurls cleverly hidden wings. Ford's eyes shrink as he's knocked back with a whip of the beasts tail, back hitting a half-melted tree, smashing through it rather violently. He groans in pain before stumbling to his feet, running after the beast, face contorted in worry. "WATCH OUT!"

The twins hear the racket and take a chance to look back, eyes widening as wind billows toward them, their view of Ford almost entirely obscured by the beast's wings. Dipper somehow finds the time to catalogue the fact that the wings are almost feathery, despite the rest of it's body being rough scales. The next thing he did was turn to look at Mabel as the basilisk heaved itself forward and quickly push her to the side. Sharp claws wrapped around his torso and his feet leave the ground.

"DIPPER!!" Mabel screams in fear, eyes going wide, hands darting for his but close on empty air a second later. She watches in horror as the beast takes off, carrying her brother with it.

"GET FORD!" His words are ripped from him by the wind, and he tightly grips the claws of the basilisk. He vaguely recalled that some birds tended to drop their prey from tall heights to kill them. He needed to work quickly.

"Alright. Basilisk, heights, flying. What do i have? I have - pens? And paper. Great. Pens. What can i do with pens?" He takes a pen from his pocket, uncapping it and glancing around.

"No water. Just trees. Trees. Oh god. This might hurt." He takes a deep breath, heart hammering in his chest as he pulls back and slams the tip of the pen into the basilisk's leg. The tip sinks into the scaly flesh and the basilisk screeches, tightening its claws. He winces, pulling back and stabbing again and again, trying his best to ignore the pain of the claws squeezing down on his ribs, swearing he could feel them creak. The basilisk shakes him furiously, before getting frustrated with its struggling prey and just drops him, hoping to find a weaker organism to feast on.

Ford feels his heart freeze as he sees a tiny speck fall away from the quickly retreating basilisk, and runs towards the area as fast as he could, shaking with fear. He was carrying Mabel in his arms, who was ready to burst into tears, terrified that her brother was about to die. "DIPPER!"

  
Dipper meanwhile flails, tree limbs battering his sides and back as he tries to find a grip. Everything is a blur of green and brown and blue. His skin was getting harshly whipped and smacked as he struggles to stop his fall. The trees slap his hand away everytime he asks for help, but then - silence. His fingers weakly grip onto a thicker branch, which groans under his weight. He takes a deep breath. "Phew." The branch snaps.

The strangled sound that spills from Dipper's lips strongly resembles a foul curse before its swallowed up by the crashing of the branches as the boy, and branch, fall through a hole in a plateau and crash hard to the ground. A sickening snap was heard.

It did not come from the branch.

 


	3. The Cave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would really appreciate some comments! Here's another chapter!

Dipper's sight comes in and out of focus, pain almost making him throw up. "Ahh... That feels broken. Hhn. Definitely broken." Throbbing fills his side and leg, his sight coming in and out of focus. His surroundings were dark, the air smelling humid, and there was a deafening dull roar that pounded into his ears. A...A cave?

Should he... Should he call out? What if there were other creatures? What if that basilisk came back? Despite the possibilities, he felt strangely calm. His body felt warm, and his leg seemed to tingle with a certain fuzziness. He slowly attempts to move, at least roll onto his stomach or something. He groans dimly, throbbing all over with pain, and he takes a deep breath. "3...2...1!"

With one quick move, he finds himself on his stomach, only a twinge of pain sparking up his body. His arms ache with bruises, his shoulders burn with scratches. But his leg... It's surprisingly... Fine. "What the..." He slowly sits up, gingerly trying to move his leg, testing it. He moves it in and out, side to side, teeth digging into his lip in preparation for the blinding pain.

But it doesnt come. He frowns, deciding to try and stand up, finding his balance easily. Only a dull ache resonates from his leg. This... Isn't normal. He shouldnt have been able to move, let alone stand. Whatever. He'll find out more later. He needs to get out of here. He.. He needs a light, or something.

He licks at his finger, holding it up to determine the direction of the draft. He dimly feels a wind blow to the west, and starts to carefully walk in that direction, moving slowly as to not run into anything, like a bear or wolves. Oh God, are there wolves in this part of Oregon? Please don't let there be wolves.

His hand eventually comes into contact with a rocky wall, where he feels his way to an opening and shuffles through the dark corridors. He suddenly sees another light source, sitting atop a lone rock. His eyes narrow, burning as they attempt to adjust. Is that...a lantern? He walks toward the light, uncertain of how it got there. Closer, he saw that it was a burning lantern, with perhaps a hand crafted cage containing the light. He gingerly picked it up, turning the light on the rest of the room.

His breath hitches at the sight of the cave walls. Eyes, so many eyes, littering the floor, the walls, the ceiling. All of them ranged in size, yet were perfectly the same,with a snake-like pupil. Dipper swallows nervously, taking a step closer to the nearest painting to properly illuminate it. A triangular being, with a singular eye, a pair of thin, black arms and legs, and a bowtie and top hat, is surrounded by ten symbols. Two of the symbols leap out to him immediately: the six fingered hand and a nearly unidentifiable shape. They are eerily similar to Ford's hands and the symbol on Stan's fez.

He stares at the sight, eyes narrowing in confusion. He tears his gaze away to hold up the lantern to the ceiling, displaying an odd drawing that looked like a gash or tear in a fabric, rippling with so much color his vision starts to burn. He rubs his eyes, looking away and feeling slightly dizzy. The light from the lantern falls upon a circle of dimly flickering candles. In the center is a dark stain. He takes several unsteady steps backward. That had to have been recent. Not good. He had to get out of here. Oh, god, if this is a wight's barrow he is so going to die.

He whips around, managing to catch another drawing that causes his heart to race. Horrendous beasts, about 7 of them in total, cackling over a burning ruin. There were almost childish depictions of people walking toward these beasts, holding other humans, and tossing them into the open maws of the monsters. He shivers, the lantern shaking in his hand. He takes a breath and turns 90 degrees. A sudden image of something golden plays in front of his eyes, making him jump and nearly drop his lantern. "Oh, fu-... Hn. Okay. Okay. Calm down. Creepy ghost images. Creepy cavern. Totally normal. I just... gotta find the exit."

"...Gotta...find.." He was trembling hard, breathing going shallow. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. The air seemed to almost be crackling with tension, with still terror. Every nerve in his body was screaming in fear, sensing something that he himself couldn't comprehend.

Something was here.

_Something was here._

The lantern rattles, its flame flickering against the wall. His head pounds, limbs moving in syrup, hair on the back of his neck standing on end. A hand passes over his shoulders, ghostlike, barely felt at all. He turns, finding nothing. "Who's there? Show yourself!" A light chuckle rings through the cavern, turning his blood to ice.

"..I...Im not messing around!! WHERE ARE YOU?!" He starts to sweat, teeth starting to chatter ever so slightly. He was taking steps back, slowly, only to be frozen right in front of the triangle. The triangle...that was...staring at him.

His back tenses as he turns to the triangle, eyes wide. "Wh-who are you? I know you're here..." He shifts, uncertain of his deductions. He could be making all this up. But that presence... It almost felt physical. It had to be real. Right? The eye suddenly flashes gold. All the other eyes do as well, pupils snapping toward Dipper, leering at him. He can't move at all anymore, and if he's screaming, he can't tell. All he can hear is the pounding in his chest. All he can see are eyes.

A bead of sweat runs down his temple, the lantern rolling across the floor with unnecessary light. These eyes... Dipper can feel them doing something to him, trying to get access to - to him. He cant quite understand the intent, but it's there. A gentle hand on his chin tilts his head this way and that, and he cant quite tell if this is for sense of observation or murder. He can feel his body quivering, but only because of the contact of that unseen hand.

That hand...it doesn't feel right. It's not normal, it's way too hot, almost feeling as if he's being touched by a sunbeam. The texture was beyond smooth, like a polished rock, feeling like the surface was made of carapace then soft flesh. Dipper swears he can feel the tiniest hints of claws every time those fingers brush over his skin. Whatever was touching him was not human.

He tries to speak, but his mouth barely responds. The hand moves to his forehead, tracing his birthmark. He hears something close to, "We'll have fun" before the hand retreats and the eyes dim.

As his senses return, a large hand grips his shoulder."Dipper? Dipper, are you alright?"

He blinks quickly, focusing on Ford. "I.. Yeah. I'm fine...I'm..I'm fine." He rubs his eyes, blinking as he looks around. The eyes were completely normal, the lantern smashed to pieces on the ground, and the only light source was Ford's flashlight. His skin was pale, clammy, soiled with sweat, and he takes deep breaths. His heart was still hammering away in his chest.

"Mabel. Where is-"

"She's fine. She's outside the cave." Ford looks him over for himself. "You aren't hurt at all."

"Just a few bruises, I think." Relief floods the boy's body fast enough to make him dizzy. His idiotic, half-baked plan actually worked! For the time being, at least.

Ford catches him as he sways."Let's get you out of here."

"I would like that very much."

As they get farther from the room, Ford turns and looks back at it, face contorted in shock.

They make their way out of the cave, where Mabel tearfully hugs Dipper. "Oh my God, Dipper! Are you ok? Are you hurt at all?" She hugs him tightly, pulling back to cup his cheeks, looking beyond concerned.

He chuckles slightly. "I'm fine, don't worry. Just a little rattled. What about you?"

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking. Now that I know you're ok, I can do this." She reels back and slaps him hard across the face before grabbing him by the collar of the shirt, shaking him.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?! PUSHING ME OUT OF THE WAY SO YOU COULD BE SNATCHED UP AND EATEN BY A BASILISK?!? I-JUST-YOU COULD'VE BEEN KILLED!!" She starts crying again while yelling, and Ford winces slightly.

Dipper blinks and cringes, the skin smarting. "Well, what was i supposed to do? Let you get snatched? Plus, i had pens in my pockets. You only have glitter. And that doesnt necessarily work against people's stomachs. Pens, on the other hand... They saved my life." He rubs her arms. "C'mon. Let's get home and make some hot chocolate, okay? You can make pancakes too. Maybe we can make them from scratch."

"...Ok. I'm still mad at you though." She sniffles, rubbing at her eyes.

Dipper rubs her back, glancing back at Ford with a sheepish grin. "So, uh, which way leads back to society?"

Ford laughs a bit, before starting to walk away from the caves. "It's this way. And, uh, could you try avoid telling Stanley about your little free-fall? He'll have my head on a pike."

Dipper grins widely. "Sure thing. He'd probably never let us out again, if i read him correctly."

"That's quite accurate." He grins sheepishly. They slowly make their way out of the forest and up the dirt path to the houses. Mabel composes herself and makes a few jokes along the way. Stan was seen pacing back and forth across the clearing, whipping around when he heard them coming.

Ford grins sheepishly, twiddling his thumbs. "Uh...We're back, Stanley."

His body relaxes, much like Dipper's did in the cave. "Thank god. Are they alright? You didnt let that thing get near them, did you?" He shoots Ford an accusatory glare.

"We're all fine, Grunkle Stan." Dipper offers a rather convincing smile.  
  
"Y-Yeah. Ford stabbed out its eyes easily. No threat at all after that. It flew off, probably for good." Mabel grins as well, holding onto Dipper's hand.

Stan watches them for a moment, then glances at Ford, softening somewhat. "Good. Wanna have some dinner now? You can have whatever you want."

"Can we make pancakes?"

"Sure. Go on in. I'll meet you inside." The twins grin and hug him, rushing into the house. Stan watches them before turning back to Ford. He crosses his arms, looking tired. "Don't get them involved in this, Ford. They're kids, for Christ's sake."

"..I don't know for sure, Stanley. But I saw quite the sign earlier, and I have no say in it." His face softens, and he gingerly puts a hand on Stan's shoulder. "I'll...I'll try and see if my hunch is correct. It may be, it may not be. I'm sorry, Stanley."

  
Stan shrugs his hand off, taking a step back, eyes going wide. "You have got to be kidding me. They are kids! They don't even know anything about all of this. You can't just drag them into the thick of things just because 'you saw the signs.'"

"Stan, you really think I would be so careless as to do that? It may just be Dipper, maybe Mabel is ok, but I won't know for sure. I never said it was definite." He looks affronted, scoffing as he crosses his arms.

"Just... Dont involve him in the crazy shit, alright? And that's _if_ he's part of this." It's obvious that he wants to say more, but more obvious that he knows the response he would receive.  
  
"..I will. Go back inside, have fun with the kids. Good night." He turns, slowly walking back into his house. Stan watches, sure of some kind of hidden message in his words, and then turns and stalks into his house, putting on a fake smile and pointedly not recognizing the fact that Dipper no longer had his hat.

Mabel, however, realizes this after playfully sending a glob of icing,(she loved to decorate her pancakes with icing), straight into Dipper's hair. She blinks at the sight, humming. "Hey, you must've lost your hat at some point."

"What?" He pauses midstroke on clearing the icing out of his hair and blinks. "Oh, wow. I didnt notice. Huh. I wonder if it's still in the forest." He frowns, halfway between mentally debating with himself on whether or not to go searching for it tomorrow morning. If he skipped breakfast and started early....

"Grunkle Stan! Dipper needs a new hat! Do you have any spares?" Mabel darts out of the kitchen, running up to Stan with a grin.

He blinks once, then frowns in concentration. "Maybe in the back. Here. Let me find the box." Mabel watches him walk down the hall, enter a side room, and then return with a cardboard box with several words crossed out and 'HATS' written on all sides. "Should be everything I have. Go wild. I'll be right over here in the living room if you need me." He sets the box on a counter and leaves the room.

"Dipper! We got replacement hats in here!" Mabel carries it into the kitchen.

Dipper is still worrying at his icing cake hair when she walks in, but stops when she comes in with the box of hats. "Huh. That looks like a lot." He hops off his chair and over to the box. Peering inside, they saw a wide assortment of hats: brimmed, not brimmed, colorful, monochrome, definitely '70s, etc. Dipper hummed as he went through the box, muttering as he discarded hats. Too similar, too flashy, too weird, and - huh. This one wasn't all too bad. The bill was slightly bent, but he could work with it. "What do you think about this one?"

Mabel hums, her eyes narrowing, before she gives a thumbs-up. "Looks great, Dips!"

Stan had walked in for just a moment to check on the Twins, only to go stiff, face going pale, blood turning to ice.

The hat had a bright blue pine tree on it.

Inside the other house, scented candles being lit with a steady hand, Ford grins. 


	4. The Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would really love some more comments, guys! They really keep me going on this!

After eating overly sugary pancakes doused in syrup, the twins decide to make their retreat to sleep for the night. Stan is more than happy to show them the open attic they would use for the summer. Their luggage is already set at the foot of the beds, which Stan supposedly had done while anxiously awaiting them outside. Mabel had collapsed onto her bed with a huff, groaning as she pats her beyond full belly. "I think we bested our last record of 14 Mabel-cakes, Dip-Dop."

Dipper was face-down on his bed, arms stretched out and legs hanging off the foot-board. He tries to form coherent words, such as, "I can feel it. You don't have to tell me." but it comes out more like, "Hyrrngh..."

She chuckles, smiling in an amused fashion. "Ah yes, the food coma. A main side effect of consuming such deadly deliciousness." She manages to waddle over to her brother, which was a bit difficult seeing how her stomach sloshed with every move, shaking his shoulder. "C'mon, lazy butt, you gotta get in pajamas.."

He groans in disagreement, but sits up anyways. He removes his new hat, placing it on a convenient bedside table. "Do i have to?" He offers a joking grin.

"What sounds more comfy? A shirt and shorts that are covered in mud, pine needles, and claw marks from the hungry grip of a basilisk? Or comfy, fluffy pajamas?" She pulls out her own nightgown.

He sighs. "I hate it when you're right." He stands and retrieves his own pajamas from his backpack, yawning and rubbing his eyes as he does so. He removes his vest first, which he vaguely recognizes is devoid of major holes, before replacing his current clothes with his night clothes.

Mabel is soon under her covers, just as sleepy as Dipper. Her eyelids flutter, trying to stay open. Dipper lays back, yawning yet again. Jeez, he hasn't been this tired in ages. He pulls his covers over him and turns on his side, facing Mabel. "Goodnight."

A quiet snore is all that he hears in response. Mabel had passed out. He yawns, curling up and similarly falling asleep. . . .

Dipper is not usually a dreamer. Much less a vivid one. Most of the time he simply fell asleep and then woke up. There was a period of time a few years back when he had fairly grotesque nightmares, but they had since stopped. He never complained about it. Tonight, however, is noticeably different. Stars soar overhead, occasionally blurring together to form misty streaks in the sky. All around him stood blue-green conifers, roots bubbling over the ground and trunks large enough to indicate centuries of knowledge. Grass and leaves tickle at his neck, the sound of a creek roiling somewhere behind him. Something blocks out the stars, just for a moment, and he shivers on impulse before sitting up and looking around.

"...Where am I?" He slowly gets to his feet, looking slightly nervous. After all, to have such a lucid dream like this is not normal. He can feel the grass brush his legs, hear birds tweeting and water burbling over the rocks. It's almost as if it was...real.

A gust of wind, neither forceful nor gentle, breezes through the forest. He shudders, hugging himself. This was... Abnormal. He felt eyes on his back, body stiffening as he recognizes the primal fear coursing through him. "Who..." His clears his voice and wets his lips, forcing his mind to think clearly. "Who are you?"

There was silence for a few moments, then a small chuckle. The same one from the caves. "Heheh. I want to see you find out on your own. Makes the whole thing more fun." The voice was eerie, echoed in an almost inhuman way, and it seemed to come from everywhere at once.

He forces himself to not look around for the voice. He considered asking more questions, but decided against it; whoever it was that was talking didnt seem eager to give him straight answers. Instead, he looked around the clearing, searching for the direction to the cave.

"Oh, there's no cave here. After all, kid, you are dreaming. I'm not gonna show myself unless I think you're ready." The voice comes again, sounding amused.

"Ready for what? Wait, I'm dreaming? Oh, of course." He snaps his fingers, a sort of projection of the cave filling the clearing. "Okay. First things firsts." He walks up to the ring of symbols surrounding a triangular being. "Is this you? In the center? And these two symbols, they remind me of Grunkle Stan and Ford. So they represent people? And they're important somehow? To you? Or is it the other way around? You're important to them? But why?" He realizes he's rattling off all his thoughts, but for some reason it doesnt bother him.

"Slow down there, kiddo! Heheh. Don't go solving all the riddles before I can tell them!" The voice laughs, sounding quite amused. "To answer your questions: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and you'll find out."

He relaxes, some of his paranoia and desire sated with the knowledge of being right. "Okay. I kinda saw that coming. Uh... Can I see you? It's a little weird speaking to a disembodied voice. And since you do have a visible body, you must be somewhere and it might be weird if im talking to you with my back turned. Though if you for whatever reason dont want to, then i guess that's fine too. I'll get used to it."

"Heheh. Call me not showing myself just yet a trial of sorts. How should I explain this....As you've seen, this place is filled to the brim with magical creatures, no doubt seen as pure fantasy by the rest of humanity. But that's not all; the ground, the air, the rocks, this whole part of the planet is a magical gold mine. Just imagine the outcry that would erupt if word got out."

He frowns slightly. "So... You're, what? Trying to make sure the word doesnt get out? What about everyone who wants to find a place like this, but can't? It's only a matter of time before other people wear down on them."

"They don't concern me. Think of me as like a guardian of sorts. Would you really want word of this place to get out and end up torn apart by governmental agencies and scientific communities? Not only would the people and creatures living here be thrown into solitude, forced to live the rest of their lives behind bars, but what would the rest of the world do when discovering what lies beneath this place? What would they do?"

"I suppose you have a point. Wait. What's under Gravity Falls?" He glances at the depiction of the triangle accusingly.

"A lot of things, kiddo. I meant what would people do with the magic in Gravity Falls when they discover its there?"

"..Right. Um. Probably find a way to harness it and use it for the government. They wouldnt tell the people, not at first at least, and they'd probably try and round up all the creatures. Find out their uses. Area 51, stuff like that. Wouldnt be good. Was this some kind of sacrificial... Thing?" Dipper kneels over the image of the circle of candles surrounding a bloodstain. He isn't sure if he wants to ask anything else about it. He also isn't sure why he is talking to this being so much. What is it's name? How long has it been here? He pushes the questions aside, filing them away for later.

"It's not a sacrifice, kiddo. More like a ritual."

"A ritual." His mind races. What kind of ritual? What is it for? Who performs it? What is used for it? When does it happen? What happens with it? Who participates? He decides to put the topic aside for now, figuring he could find out more later "How did you make me see all those things in the cave? And I felt your hands... But you weren't really there, right?"

"Well, I was...But I also wasn't." There was a chuckle.

Dipper frowns, glancing around. "That doesnt make much sense."

There was a laugh, a hearty one. "And basilisks make sense?"

"Erm." He blinks, then rubs the back of his neck. "Kinda. I mean, in a supernatural sense, yes. But of course, if the whole chicken-sitting-on-a-snake-egg thing is true, then it doesn't make complete sense biologically. But then again it's supernatural.... Are you saying you can exist in a paradox both spatially and temporally?"

"In a way, yes. It's quite complicated, kid, maybe I'll explain when you're ready."

"How will you know when I'm ready?" He sighs and sits down, looking toward the picture of the disembodied voice's body.

"When you can see me."

Dipper frowns, unsure of what else to say.

"Gotta say though, I wouldn't be talking to you for no reason, kid! I saw you take on the basilisk! Utterly suicidal right there!"

"I - I wasnt suicidal. I was trying to save my sister and Grunkle."

"No, no! You misunderstand me, Pine Tree! I need people that are willing to do beyond batshit crazy things like that!"

"Um... Okay. Why?"

Unseen hands cup his cheeks suddenly, still just as hot and smooth as last time. It doesn't matter wether Dipper looks down or around, no matter what he does, he can't physically see them. "Think, kiddo! If this place is full of crazy shit like basilisk's and unseen roguishly handsome deities like me, how am I gonna keep all of that under control and kept secret?"

"I, um...." His eyes are still slightly wide from the unforseen contact, and he blinks, trying to make sense of his thoughts. He had a feeling that this being - deity - wanted him to literally answer every question put in front of him. His eyes dart to the side several times. "I guess you'd need help... And lots of it, based on what happened with the basilisk. And i guess the next question is how you would do that. You'd need people to... i wouldnt say trust you, but believe in what you believe. Bare minimum."

"Close, kiddo. I need people willing to help me keep this place under control. People willing to do anything to prevent word from getting out. People like you." A claw affectionately taps his nose.

His lashes flutter again and he pulls his head back. "Like me?"

"That's right, Pine Tree. You have the guts, the will, the drive to help conquer all of the beasts and events that threaten to tear this part of the world apart. I believe you can do it, kid. You'd be saving everyone from a horrible fate. Including your sister." The hands drift down, holding his hands together in a fist, shaking it as they talk.

"What... Fate exactly?"

"Like I said, everyone in this town would be interrogated and subjected to God knows what they have cooking up behind government walls. That also means your Grunkles, and by extension, you, and your sister."

He shifts, looking down. The last thing he wants is for anyone to get hurt. Least of all Mabel and his Grunkles.

"Hey, hey. Don't get all down on me. Think of all the things you'll discover, kid! All the things you'll see! So much potential is in this town, and in you! If you stick with me, kid, you may be able to discover the secrets of the entire Universe!" The stars suddenly surround Dipper, swirling around him like a nebula, shimmering and sparkling.

His eyes widen, the sights shimmering in his eyes as he watches. Elegant blues play into royal purples, bleeding into vibrant golds. He wants to know so much about all of this. How these constructs were created, how this deity could show him all this, why he even was dreaming this. "This really isnt a dream, is it?" It comes out as both a question and a statement, and he glances around again, hoping to glimpse a portion of the deity.

"Heheh. It's a bit complicated, kiddo. But trust me, you haven't seen anything yet." One of the hands comes up to stroke through his hair in an affectionate manner. "Now, are you ready to prove yourself worthy as a protecter of this town? Of your family?"

"I, um, yeah." He shifts, unsure of what to do with his body.

"Great! You have fun today, and I'll give you your first test tomorrow." The dream slowly begins to fade. The woods fall away, leaving him in pitch dark nothingness. His eyes suddenly shoot open, quickly followed by his heart jumping into first gear. A strangled gasp escapes his lips as he rockets upright in bed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Shopping Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep the comments going, guys!

Mabel slowly yawns, rubbing her eyes as she wakes up, vision a little fuzzy. She hears shuffling, scribbling, and assorted frantic mutters across the room, and blearily lifts her head. "D-Dipper?"

Dipper is hunched over a large cork board decorated with strings and snippets of paper, light shadows under his eyes and a cup of coffee between his hands. His bedside table no longer holds a lamp, but rather an express coffee maker, which makes bubbling noises every other minute. As soon as he hears her voice, he marches to her bed with cork board and coffee in hand, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Okay, so you know how I fell into that cave yesterday? The whole place was ridiculously weird, just not normal. I mean, one moment I was just sitting there, curled up in pain, and the next I was capable of walking. Somehow my leg healed itself. Or something else healed my leg. Can't be certain. But that's beside the point. Inside the cave, there was this weird painting thing of a triangular deity and it had these symbols surrounding it, which is honestly just a little weird, right? But then I saw these eyes and it somehow was making me see them and I couldn't move. I was petrified. But again, that isn't necessarily my point. There was something else in that cave. I'm not sure what exactly it was, but I could feel it. Like - like sense it was there? Kinda like how you know another person has entered the room and where they are in relation to yourself, even if you have a bag over your head and there are no other auditory cues as to where they are-"

"Dipper...Dipper...it's 8:30...Please use normal words." She sat up, hair frazzled, clearly still trying to blink the sleep from her eyes, and looks around again. Her eyes go wide.

"..Dipper, did you stay up all night?"

"Er." He glances back at the room, barely noticing the sea of crumpled papers littering the floor. "No. I woke up at three. But I had this crazy dream -well, maybe not a dream, I'm not sure, and-"

"And how many cups of coffee did you have?"

"Five." He shifts. "But that's not what's important. What is important is that there is something out there that is - is beyond imagination. Capable of bending the world to his will. Or maybe just reality, but that's still pretty close-"

" _Dipper_." She grabs his face, cupping his cheeks. "Breathe. Breathe deep, and calm down."

He blinks several times, then takes a deep breath. "Okay, okay. I'm good. You can let go of me."

She lets go, patting his shoulders. "Ok, first off, what happened in that cave?"

He exhales, running a hand through his hair. "Well, I followed a small draft into this... room in the cave. There was a lantern, and it showed this image of a triangular being surrounded by all of these symbols." He points at a doodle he made of the painting. "And these two symbols? It kinda reminded me of Grunkle Stan and Ford."

Mabel blinks, then her eyes narrow. "Huh. That was in a cave?"

"Yeah. And almost immediately after that, I noticed this... presence. Then I couldn't move and it touched me..."

"What?!" Her eyes get really big, and her face instantly turns into one of shock.

"I know, it's weird. It just kinda... Held my face and turned it side to side like it was looking me over or something . Anyways, while I was immobile, I saw all these eyes. And then Ford found me and it all went away."

"..You saw eyes?" She blinks, sitting up more, looking intrigued.

"Yeah. All over the place. On the floor, the walls, the ceiling. Everywhere."

"...Huh. So what's up with all that?" She gestures to the mess.

"Well... I had this dream with a disembodied voice and... It was the same being from the cave. It's been trying to protect the town. And it asked me to help."

"From what?"

"From the government, or other people who would want to take the people and creatures of this town to experiment on them."

"...Weird. So this place is guarded by a phantom god?"

"I suppose so. In a way. It doesn't seem to obey the laws we humans understand. And it called itself a deity."

"Wow. Wait, it asked you? Why you?" She furrows her brow, looking confused.

"Because I was willing to take on the basilisk yesterday. It said it kinda needed that sort of brave stupidity."

"...I...Wow. So, what are you going to do?"

At this, he exhales, leaning back on her bed. He bounces slightly on the mattress, his hair bobbing to the side and exposing a portion of his birthmark. He absently rubs at his forehead. "That's what I'm trying to find out. He said he wanted to give me some kind of trial tomorrow, but the thought of not doing anything today with what I know is just unbearable. I was thinking of maybe going to check the caves again, but if he can actually see me in there.... I dunno. Maybe I'll just look around the forest or something."

"Yeah. I think I'm going to head into town and see what's what. Want me to pick you up some candy if I find any?" She jumps off the bed, starting to pull out her day clothes.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks." He slowly gets up and opens his pack, looking for clothes suitable for a trek in the woods.

Mabel had finished changing and walks downstairs, into the kitchen. "Morning, Grunkle Stan! You think you could lend me some money so I can go shopping?"

He takes his eyes away from the bacon he is cooking and smiles. "Of course. How much are you thinking?"

"50 bucks, just to be safe. Oh, and Dipper stole the coffee maker."

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head, returning to making breakfast. "I was wondering where all the coffee went."

"Don't worry, I got the perfect solution." She pulls out a jar of glitter, a case of confetti, and a tube full of plastic dinosaurs. "Got any pink lemonade?"

Stan was staring, brow raised. "..Uhh...In the fridge."

After 10 minutes of stirring, an entire bag of sugar, and so much glitter that a bat would go blind, Mabel plops a glass of an odd concoction in front of Stan. "Ta-Da! Mabel Juice!"

He gives the juice a once over. Little did he know, there was no way Mabel would let him continue his day without a mug of her concoction.

"Go on! You're not getting that coffee back anytime soon. Trust me." She fixes him with a pointed stare.

"Alright, alright." He grins almost nervously as he picks up the glass, staring into it. Why does he feel like there's a knife to his throat?

She keeps staring at him blankly. Not moving an inch. After a few minutes, Stan sighs and begrudgingly gulps the drink down. Mabel giggles and snatches the 50 bucks off the counter, dashing outside. Dipper walks into the kitchen a few minutes later only to stop and stare.

Stan was curled up in the fetal position on the floor, twitching and shuddering. The boy sighs, shaking his head, eyes reflecting pity. "You drank the Juice, didn't you?"

"...I-It's like if coffee and nightmares had a baby.."

He walks over to Stan, gently trying to pull him up. "Come on, Stan. You need to go and lay down."

He shakily complies, eyes plastered in a wide, frantic stare. "Y-yeah. Maybe that would help."

"Place a warm wet towel over your eyes. And for the love of God, whatever you do, do not lift it up."

Stan once again nods, hustling off to do so. Dipper watches him, wondering if he should follow him and make sure he doesn't pass out or something, then decides that Stan is probably alright for the time being and turns back to the kitchen and front door. He rubs his hands together, an eager smile gracing his lips. "Alright. Time to plunge into a forest full of mystery and unknowns."

Mabel is approaching the more densely populated portion of Gravity Falls. It is, she decided, more important to know the locations of the nearest centers and shops before anything else. After all, if she didn't know where the shops were, where would she find the products to make her Mabel juice? She hums a little ditty as she walks along, receiving welcoming waves and greetings from the townsfolk. She of course would greet back, smiling even wider. Wow, these people were so friendly!

She passes through the residential area and into the more industrious area, filled with small shops which lead to car rentals and a motel which lead to a rather nice look mall - for the area, that is. It looked slightly dusty in certain place, likely from the wind picking up loose grains of dirt and sand. It was especially prominent on the front glass doors; a worker gently polished at the triangular glass built above the doors.

Mabel tilts her head slightly, humming. It looked a little weird, but one should never judge the book by the cover. So, with a grin, she walks inside. "Oh, wow!" The mall is larger inside than she had first thought. A pair of escalators lead townspeople up and down the levels of the mall, with rows of shops flanking either side and the occasional kiosk positioned between shops. She looks around, eyes wide! What to do? Where should she go first? Ooh, there were so many options!

Was there anything specific she needed? More glitter or sugary foods? Edible glitter? Equipment to make greeting cards? She hums, tapping her lip. She guesses that she should go and find candy for Dipper first. Maybe there's a store like that in here?

She walks further in, glancing around for a direction center. She finds one next to an indoor fountain, walking up to it and looking it over. The layout of the mall is color coded based on floor, and has small triangles indicating other direction centers. Each square representing a shop has a number, which is detailed on a list off to the side of the picture.  
She trails the list with a finger, before gasping slightly. "Candy Paradise? They have one here? Awesome!"

Glancing over the diagram again, she sees that it is on the second level, somewhere in the west wing of the building. She grins, dashing off and hopping onto the escalator, ignoring any stares she might get for not taking the actual stairs and instead balancing on the railing. She makes it to the top and proceeds to skip along the path to the shop.

Mabel grins as she sees the bright pink building, glass windows displaying case upon case of jelly beans, now sprinting toward the entrance way. She runs so fast, she didn't see the door open until she barreled into someone. "WAUGH!"

She falls to the ground, but the other person barely reacts, as if barely being moved by the action. Mabel blinks, a little dazed, and she slowly stands, dimly rubbing her backside. "Ow. Sorry about that, I was fantasizing about my sugar craze."

A gravely chuckle eminates from the person she ran into. She doesn't look much older or younger than Mabel. "Oh, it's alright. I was too."

Mabel blinks at the sound of the other girl, a little caught off guard. That...was not what girls normally sounded like. "Your voice is so weird!" She grins, not realizing the insulting implication.

"Heheh. I hear that a lot."

"Oh, I'm Mabel. What's your name?" She holds out a hand to the odd girl.

The girl shifts a few bags of candy in her arms, firmly shaking Mabel's hand. "Most people call me Grenda. And this is Candy." She gestures to her right, where a short girl stands and fidgets with her glasses.

"Oh, hi! I didn't see you there. I'm Mabel, I'm sort of new in town." She shakes Candy's hand as well.

Candy grins lightly, almost shyly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you two! So, why did you guys get all that candy? Are you throwing a party or something?"

"More of just a get together. We're gonna hang out tonight." Both of them smile widely.

"Oooh! Sounds like a fun time. Let me guess, romantic movies, ice cream, makeovers, board games?" Mabel laughs a bit, remembering some of the fun things she did with old friends.

The two also chuckle. "Yeah, pretty much, actually."

"I used to do that all the time. Well, up until my old friends all ditched me for some reason." She shrugs. "Whatever. So, do you two live around here?"

"Yeah. We actually don't live all too far away." Candy is the one who offers this information, but she almost immediately makes a small noise, her eyes widening as she hides somewhat behind Grenda.

Mabel blinks. "Uhh...Do I have a sticker on my face?" She pats her cheeks.

"N-no, it's, uh, behind you. Miss Northwest is here."

"Miss who?" She turns around.

A well dressed blonde peers over a row of cased jewel necklaces. Her lilac dress shirt and pants compliment her darker heels and long hair. She absently brushes a strand of hair over her ear, exposing a purple diamond earrings. Grenda huffs. "That's Pacifica Northwest. Comes from the richest family in Gravity Falls."

"There are rich people here?!" Mabel gasps, eyes going wide. Seriously, diamonds as earrings?

"Just a few." Candy relaxes slightly. "They have a lot of sway, though."

"Sway in what?" Mabel furrows her brow, looking back at Candy.

"Politics." She shrugs slightly. "Maybe we should get going, Grenda."

"Well, it was nice meeting you two. Oh, I live out with Stanford and Stanley Pines; maybe we could hang out sometime?" Mabel grins hopefully.

"Sure. Do you want our numbers?"

She blinks, biting her lip, patting around her sweater frantically. "Oh, shoot, I think I left my phone back at the house. Uhh...Write it on my forehead!" She flips up her bangs.

They start for a moment, then chuckle. "I like how you think." One of them takes out a pen and writes both of their numbers.

She tries not to giggle, a bit ticklish, and holds up her bangs to make sure the ink doesn't smear. "Thanks, guys! I'll text you soon, probably!"

"Sounds good!" They shoot her a thumbs up and turn to walk away. Mabel turns, humming, before spotting a bathroom and walks inside. Best to check and make sure nothing got messed up. She gets into the bathroom, peering into the mirror to look at the numbers. She leans closer, some having appeared to have smudged slightly. "Ugh..Come on..."

That's when her eyes are drawn to a little red spot, barely seen in the corner of the ceiling. Mabel blinks, rubbing at the glass to see if it was a smudge of lipstick or something, but nothing changed. She slowly turns and glances upward. A small mark graces the ceiling in the shape of a crossed out eye.

She narrows her eyes, feeling a twinge of curiosity. Why would that be on a bathroom ceiling, of all places? If only she had her phone to take a picture....Oh! Wait! Does she have markers? She pats her sweater pockets frantically, grinning in glee when she pulls out a purple marker. This should do it!

She scribbles down the image on her left palm, brow furrowed in confusion. Should she tell someone that there's graffiti in the bathroom?  
Hm... They might get rid of it. And she kinda wants to show Dipper.

So, Mabel sighs and walks out of the bathroom, heading back to the candy store. Dipper might like some coffee flavored jelly beans. Might get him off coffee for a bit too. She grabs a bag, then another, starting to fill up one with his favorites, then gets a bag for her own. She pays the cashier, who looks entirely bored with his entire life. He takes the money and gives her more change than she originally gave, and then walks away from the register without a care in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would love some more comments!


	6. Gideon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep those comments coming, please! They let me know people are actually reading this!

Dipper sighs, leaning against a tree, not minding the bark digging into his skin, taking a moment to wipe the sweat off his brow. He's been walking around aimlessly for 15 minutes, and he hasn't realized how ungodly hot it was out. Certainly different from cool air-conditioned Piedmont.

Luckily, he had found a compass in one of Stan's random boxes and was capable of keeping a straight course so far. He definitely hates wasting time, even more than the dreadful heat of the Gravity Falls summer. He pulls out a small notepad and jots down a few notes on his location - identifying characteristics, approximate depth into woods, height of the sun in the sky - before taking the last sips from a water bottle and surveying the ahead path he would soon be taking.

Aside from a branch from a pine tree falling to the ground, there wasn't much to note. Just the standard pattern of bushes, the twitter of birds, the swaying of trees. The only odd thing was the knotholes. Every single tree had knotholes.

Dipper's face scrunches up as he examines some of the knotholes. The hair on the back of his neck stands on end for some reason he can't consciously understand at the moment.He steps cautiously closer to one, bringing a hand up to trace the bark with his fingers. "Hmm.."

"Always the same: tapered on two ends, round in the middle, a mark at the center. And this... Presence." He frowns, words escaping him.

"...What does it mean? The way they're shaped is almost...unnatural.." He stands on his toes, as if he was attempting to peer into it. Right as he gets to a perfect eye level, a jolt of adrenaline runs through his veins. Again, he can't quite identify the source of this feeling. Knowing that he doesn't know something bothers him more than anything else. The boy jumps slightly, letting out a small yelp, taking a step back from the knothole. The hair on his arms stood on end, goosebumps chilling his skin. There was something there. He could feel it.

He shivers, rubbing his arms. It... Feels familiar. "...It's you, isn't it?" He frowns thoughtfully, something in his head clicking.

"Can you... see through the trees?" He tilts his head, taking a small step forward. The tremor comes again, only less intense. He shivers, back twitching; the sensation crawled down his spine.

"Huh. I guess that's a 'yes.'" He rubs the back of his neck. "What would a 'no' feel like?" A zap down his spine that momentarily turns his legs to jelly. He yelps and clings to the tree, shaking slightly as he tries to recompose himself.

He shivers, straightening. His legs still don't move fluidly, and a sort of electricity continues to flow down his spine, but he manages to get on eye level with that one knothole. "Okay. That answers that question."

There was a sort of soft tingle on his cheek, as if the being was apologizing. A gentle wind ruffled the curls on his hair. He exhales, absently leaning into the hand. "Ah. It's alright. I did ask, after all."

The tingle crawled up his cheek and into his curls, the sensation of his hair being soothingly pet taking place. It suddenly ceased when the sound of muttering was heard nearby. Dipper goes still, only moving his head to look around for the source.

"God damn that Blubs. I thought I was supposed to be alone out here." The voice then got louder. "Hey! You there! Who are you?!"

Dipper slips out from behind the tree, hands raised in a placating fashion. "Um. I'm Dipper. Dipper Pines. Who are you?"

A small, rather pudgy albino child stands there, wearing an immaculate suit, and a large teal jewel around his neck. He blinks, then folds his arms behind his back, a grin lifting his lips. "Oh, really? So you're the new ones in town everyone has been talking about. The name is Gideon. Gideon Gleefull."

"Um. Yeah. Pleasure to meet you." His nerves internally scream at him that this kid is not as nice as he is pretending to be. Maybe it was his years of paranoia speaking; maybe it was his years of being bullied.

"So, what brings you out here into the woods? It ain't exactly the safest place out here." Gideon walks closer, smiling impeccably.

He shifts, wondering the exact same thing about the boy in front of him. "I was... Just looking around, to be honest. What about you? You're younger than I am."

"Oh, I sometimes scout for any wolves or bears that prowl near the town. Stanford doesn't want any trouble to happen. I've been doing this for a while, don't you worry." Gideon flaps his hand nonchalantly in Dipper's direction, eyes closed in a smug grin.

"So..." He quickly scans the kid again, mentally noting the iridescence of the pendent. "Are you out here looking for something specific? Because I know which way the basilisk went last night, if you're looking for it."

Gideon's eyes snap open, and he takes a step back, looking almost panicked. "H-How did you know about that?!"

"Well, um, since there was a basilisk attack yesterday, and you said you were scouting for any problems, I kinda assumed you were looking for the basilisk." He shifts, unsure if he should elaborate. His eyes meet with one of the knot holes of the trees nearby and his lips twitch slightly. "There's also the fact that the town would be panicked to learn that a basilisk was just wandering around aimlessly near their homes. And if you really are as talented as you say, and Ford is busy, then it makes sense that you're the one out looking for it."

"...I...Who told you about a basilisk?! Was it Dan? Augh, I've talked to him about this!" Gideon huffs in annoyance, turning away. "..Well, since you're a relative of Stanford, then it would've only been a matter of time, I guess."

"Heh. Yeah. Well. No one really told Mabel and I. We saw it for ourselves."

"...Which way did it go again?" He suddenly turns around, the smile back on his face, looking the slightest bit strained.

"It went..." He frowns, then nods. "Further north, towards the mountains. I'd say... Either to a cave or somewhere it could possibly have a nest. It seemed pretty intent on not killing and eating anyone, so it might have been trying to find food for others - maybe some kids? I'm not sure. But it was definitely heading north. The moon was on our right... Yeah, rises in the east, sets in west, which makes the direction we were going north."

Dipper frowns again, getting lost in the recollection. The thing really didn't seem to be incredibly hungry - it would have kept him despite the pain, and probably would have tried to give him a concussion midflight to make him stop squirming. Which, if he was right, meant that it had friends, which honestly is not good information, which in turn Ford should probably know because there is no way a kid could take on a whole nest of those things-

"Thank you, Dipper." Gideon nods, and proceeds to waddle hastily off in that direction.

"Hey, um, should I tell Ford that there might be more than one?" The boy raises a hand, blinking.

"No, no. I'll be fine. You just go back to the town." He flaps his hand toward Dipper, not looking at him.

"Um... Okay." He watches Gideon walk onwards, uncertain....That kid was really weird. And not in the good way. He shifts, twiddling his thumbs. Should he...Should he go after? ...He'd probably notice him, if he wasn't really careful. But the kid was walking into a nest of basilisks.   
Well, even if Gideon knew he was there, the possibility of him getting killed is extremely high. He can't just let a kid, a younger kid no less, just walk to his death!

He starts to follow him, trying to be as quiet as possible. Gideon keeps on walking, following the direction Dipper gave him. He bends down to examine some tracks, and smirks. "Should be near here."

Dipper draws back, hiding behind a large tree and peeking out from behind it. Gideon hums before cupping his hands to his mouth, fluttering it around in a random pattern to make a sound eerily similar to a basilisk's clucking and hissing. The sound makes Dipper shiver, remembering the moments leading up to his attempted kidnapping. There was a answering screech, and then another, then another, then another. 4 basilisk's.  
Dammit. He should have gotten Ford. This isn't good.

All 4 of these beasts fly into the air, screeching as they begin to dive-bomb Gideon. The kid's eyes are closed, and he doesn't move. Shit. He has to do something. What can he do? Make a distraction? Nothing could distract all of them at once. Push him out of the way? The kid will still be nearby when they finish with Dipper's corpse. If only - if only he had something like a spell or-

Gideon's left hand darts to the jewel, wrapping his hand tightly around it. The basilisk's all stop dead in mid-air, screeching and struggling against an unseen force. The kid smirks, and with a forceful downward thrust of his free hand, the beasts are brutally crushed into the ground. Dipper sympathetically winces, eyes wide at the show of power. The kid... his hand is on his amulet. The amulet must have some kind of magic to it. Is it  
specific? Just telepathy?

The basilisks all scream, only for them to be tossed back up and slammed down again. There was an audible crunching sound, and one of the scaled monsters screeches; it's leg was just reduced to grizzle. Dipper winces away, mind cringing back to several accidents back in his childhood. His body similarly forced himself fully behind the tree. Yes, he now fully recognized why he felt so worried with Gideon earlier: he reminded him rather powerfully of those few thoughtful jerks who could truly ruin a person , who could find what someone loved and break it for them, who could smile one moment and beat you the next. It was a dangerous kind of cunning that he was sadly used to dealing with.

Gideon proceeded to slam all the basilisk's into the ground over and over, spattering blood and bone fragments everywhere. Oh God. Oh no. Fuck, he should do something. He shouldn't just be sitting around. Those things are probably dead by now and he should have intervened earlier and there's blood everywhere, Oh God-

"Aw, dammit." Gideon was grimacing, letting the smashed in corpses go with a bloody thump. He holds out the fabric of his coat, which was spattered with blood. "Now I gotta wash this out."

The sudden silence allows Dipper to take several panicked breaths to calm himself down. He rubs his face and stands. Gideon... Just killed four basilisks in one go and was more concerned about his attire than anything else. "You... didn't have to kill all of them."

Gideon stiffens and whirls around, eyes going momentarily wide. Then, he visibly relaxes, and he sighs, holding the bridge of his nose. "...Boy, you're new here. I get that. But don't go around and try to protest how I do things around here."

He shrinks somewhat, surveying the scene of the massacre. "I just... think there were other ways to deal with the problem. Don't get me wrong, I understand the threat they pose, but, I mean, we could have learned more about them."

"Tch. I already know 'bout them all. I know that they're a threat capable of reducing you to a pile of melting flesh in under 5 seconds. No use to keeping them alive." He turns back to the corpses, examining each one to make sure they were dead.

"But what if they're just migrating and there's more of them? How do the reproduce? Can we stop them from reproducing? Can we take them? What exactly do they eat? Of course they're a threat. That's surface level. If you're really thinking about protecting the town, then what about domesticating them and using them as guard dogs? Maybe they even have some kind of sentience. Well, had." Dipper scowls slightly, put off by the fact that the four basilisks could have been the last of their kind. Who knows what kind of impact this could have on the food chain?

"..You wanna know if there's more of them, huh?" Gideon pauses, head tilting up to gaze at the rocky cliff the beasts came from. He smirks, then grabs his amulet again, floating up into the air.

He blinks, then his eyes widen. "Hey, wait!" He quickly runs up to him, jumping to grab him.

Gideon squawks, eyes going wide, and the two of them unsteadily hover in the air, one hand tightly clutching the amulet as they keep going upward. "You little-! Let go of me!" He angrily thrashes and kicks his leg, which Dipper was grasping by the ankle.

Dipper manages to dodge one kick, and stubbornly holds onto his ankle. "You are not killing anymore of them!"

"Don't tell me how to do my job, boy! Now, let go!" He struggles, still flying up in the air, even attempting to bash Dipper into the rock ledge.

Dipper tenses, his grip tightening around Gideon's ankle as his side scrapes along the rocky surface. "You haven't even stopped to think about this! Have you seriously never had a biology or earth science class before? Do you know nothing about the food chain?"

"They'd devour everything in sight! That's what I know!" Gideon snarls, reaching the top of the ledge. The aura leaves his body, focusing on Dipper and sending him flying off the cliff.

He tries to hold on, but the force that surrounds him straightens his fingers and forces him back, and he falls to the ground with a hard thump. Dipper lays there, gasping for breath for a few moments; the fall wasn't that large to do any actual damage. Gideon huffs and turns to face the top of the cliff, and grins widely at the sight. A nest full of eggs. "Ah, there you are."

Gideon ignores the strangled shouts and yelling from below, finger tracing the edges of his amulet. He was almost thankful that Dipper had spoken up - as thankful as he was annoyed at least. Hmm, how should he do it? With his boots? Nah, the yolk would ruin them. A rock? No, not satisfying enough. He suddenly grins as he gets an idea, levitating all of the eggs over the cliff side. "Hey, boy! Wanna save them? CATCH!" With a thrust of his hand, he sends them all plummeting rapidly.  
  
Dipper's eyes widen, crawling back and then turning his back to the eggs just as they start to land around him. One hits his back, splashing him with miscellaneous fluids. His eyes are shut tight, teeth gritted. "Aw? What? Not gonna be a hero? Huh? Some relative of Stanford you are." He sneers, letting one final egg drop carelessly before turning his back to demolish the nest.

Dipper turns back to glare at Gideon, then widens his eyes again at the final egg falling toward him. He forces himself to stand and leaps to grab it. He manages to grab it just before it hits the ground, and he quickly tucks it into his vest. There was an explosion of stones and wood chips, and Gideon slowly levitates himself down from the cliff.  
Dipper scowls at him, but says nothing. The kid seemed to be enjoying himself; he didn't want to give him anything else to laugh about.

"See? Was that so hard?" Gideon snickers, waddling toward Dipper, as if expecting him to scream or lash out. He was trying to goad him, Dipper could feel it. He wasn't going to give that snot-nosed brat that satisfaction; he never responded, instead just turning to walk home.

"What? You running? Don't wanna try and defend yourself? Huh? Huh?" Gideon jeers, a nasty grin on his face.

Dipper exhales. "I have more important things to do than argue with some random person in the middle of the woods. Plus, there's really nothing else to do around here."

"Fine then. Go on back home, you wimp." Gideon spits at his feet before walking off haughtily. Dipper tenses, one of his hands clenching. He glares at Gideon's retreating figure, but then continues to walk home. Gideon didn't understand him, and didn't know about the final egg. That was fine. He could live with that. Gideon was no one.

He manages to stalk on home, immediately grabbing a couch pillow and running up the stairs. Best to keep the egg warm while he tries to figure out how to take care of it.  
He puts the pillow on his desk side table and gently sets the egg atop it. He fiddles with the nearby lamp to shine it's light on the egg.

"..Ok...Basilisk egg...Basilisk egg..." This was gonna be tougher then he thought. Did it need to be warm? Cold? Did it actually have to be sat on by a chicken? Where can he get a chicken? Guh. This is exactly what he was telling Gideon. Who could possibly know anything about Basilisks?

...Wait...Didn't Ford give him some weird books? Or... Was he about to give them to him, and then Stan came out and he put them away? He frowns, then runs out the room, shutting the door behind him securely. He runs out the house in a few seconds. He ignores a faint cringing stab coming from one of his ankle as he hurries to Ford's house. He breathes in the scent of burning wax and cinnamon before knocking on the door.

Ford opens it, and a small plume of smoke comes out, pouring down the porch in waves. A large purple-red bruise lined the side of his face, but that didn't seem to faze the old man in the slightest, his face lighting up in a big grin. "Hello, Dipper! How can I help you?"

"Hey, um. I think you were saying something about some books you wanted to show me yesterday. And then all the dinner stuff happened. I was wondering if you wanted to show me them now." He blinks, looking a bit concerned at the obvious wound.

"Oh, yes, of course! Come in, come in. Watch your step; the Cycloptopus got loose again and it crawled under the floorboards. Darn thing is so feisty." He eagerly beckons Dipper inside, grinning from ear to ear.

Dipper walks in, grinning slightly. "Cycloptopus? Is that like... An octopus but with one eye? Like, cyclopes octopus?"

"Exactly! Good job, Dipper! It also has the mouth of a lamprey, and, uh, teeth on the suckers." His grin becomes a bit more sheepish as he gingerly rubs the bruise on his cheek. "That's probably going to leave a mark."

Dipper winces sympathetically. "Does it hurt much? Ice might help."

"Oh, it's happened plenty of times. I just wait for it to go away; darn thing has bitten me so many times I'm immune to the poison." He grins a bit more smugly this time.

"It's poisonous?" Dipper grins a bit nervously, glancing around.

"Oh, I have an antidote on stand-by...Um, Dipper, what happened to your leg?" He blinks, looking mildly concerned.

"Hm?" He looks down, and... Wow. He's bleeding. And his ankle is turning purple. Huh. "Ah. I, uh, fell out in the woods. Must have scraped myself a bit. Didn't notice I was bleeding though."

Ford kneels down, rubbing his chin. "Odd. Roll down the sock for me; I need to see the wound."

Dipper kneels on one knee - his good one - and carefully pulls his sock down, exposing blotched skin that seems to be swollen slightly. Along his calf, a rough abrasion is dotted with pearls of blood. "Ooh, that looks bad. Possibly a sprained or twisted ankle. How did you get something like this?" Ford stands, gesturing with a flap of a hand for him to follow.

"I need to get that scrape cleaned out before infection can occur. You sit in that chair." Inside the presumed living room, there were even more trinkets: a cyclops skull, a huge glass eyeball, a hand in a jar, a large canine tooth, and plenty of other weird things. Ford was pointing to a comfortable-looking leather chair, seeming to be a recliner.

Dipper hobbles over to the recliner, but hesitates. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to get blood onto it."

"That thing has seen worse then a little leg skin torn. It's fine." Ford's response came from the kitchen.

Dipper nods anyways and sits down in the chair, sitting somewhat at the relief of pressure on his feet. He hadn't quite noticed how far he walked, but it was likey a longer distance than he thought. Both of his legs ache, though the one does seem to burn and throb more than anything else.

It must've happened when Gideon tossed him off the cliff. It wasn't that far of a fall, but still enough to cause harm. He takes a few deep experimental breaths, just to make sure his ribs aren't hurt. It seems like everything's fine. His lungs expand normally, the rest of his body doesn't feel all too tense. Maybe he just landed weird when he fell.

...Dipper's breath catches. The hair on the back of his neck starts to prickle. He blinks rapidly, as if attempting to see it. It was here, he could feel it. He glances around, searching for the source. His eyes settle on a triangular window almost directly to his right. The center has a diamond shape, and Dipper can almost imagine it as an eye. "Triangles... Right."

He glances around, shifting. Where was it? Was it just watching him?   
The feeling of not-hands surround his ankle and brush over the abrasion on his leg, causing Dipper to tense. The hands gentle and a small feeling of warmth travels through his leg. As he watches, the abrasion mends and his ankle returns to a more natural pale color. The hands then leave his ankle, only for one of them to glide through his hair, a subtle pat on his shoulder being placed. It was if the being was giving him praise.

He smiles lightly, looking down to his lap to avoid looking anywhere the being might be. An affectionate poke was given to his nose, and the feeling slowly fades. Ford walks in moments later, watching Dipper gently rub his nose. He holds a light first aid kit one hand, and a sort of brace in the other. "Ok, I have the....Uhh...Your leg is..." He blinks, staring, jaw dropped.

"Um... Heh. Yeah.... This, uh... This is the second time this has happened." Dipper shifts, glancing at him once before looking away, uncertain of how to describe his healing without sounding insane.

Ford stares for a few moments, looking utterly bewildered. "Well...Try to move your leg, just to see if its been fully healed."

He pulls his knee to his chest, rolling his ankle slowly and flexing his foot up and down. "It feels fine."

"...Odd. Very, very odd." He looks perplexed, rubbing his chin, before sighing. "Well, I'll go get you one of my Journals. Tell me if your leg starts hurting again."

"Yeah. Okay. I'll do that." He shifts.

Ford briefly heads upstairs, coming back down with one of the books. "I'm currently using 2 of them for research, but you're free to use the 3rd one."

"That's fine with me." He accepts the book and flips through the first few pages. "Thanks, Grunkle Ford."

"You're welcome. Out of curiosity, why do you need it? Planning to investigate something?" He raises a brow.

"Um, just curious about the basilisks." He closes the book and holds it closer to himself, as if the book could deflect any other questions.

"Curious how? You could ask me." Ford blinks, turning to him.

"Oh, I'm just... I really just want to learn about them in general. There's something about them in here, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"I'll look through here and then come back with questions. Heh. I always have questions." He gives him a sheepish grin.

"Heh. Please, ask away." Ford pats his head.

Dipper nods and stands, saying goodbye and heading to the door. Ford notices an odd liquid stain on Dipper's back, as well as speckled white... shells?

"..Dipper, what's on your vest?" He stares.

The boy turns, eyebrows raised. "Hm? On my...? Oh. That." He almost cringes, craning his neck back to see the stain. He exhales and rubs his neck. "It's...It's nothing."

"Dipper, you're not telling me something." He looks stern, crossing his arms.

Dipper shifts, not meeting his eyes. "I just met a kid and... Well, it's kinda weird. I found him in the woods and he said he was going to find the basilisk. I told him where it had gone and I followed him and then...." His hands clench on the sides of the journal, a worried look on his face. Remembering the sounds, the puddles of gore, his incapability of stopping Gideon....

"..Was this kid rather..er...big? But short? But his hair was big?" Ford suddenly blinks, looking alert.

"Erm. Yeah. Gideon." He relaxes slightly, but his hands keep their death grip on the book.

Ford sighs, unfolding his arms. "What happened next? Did he apprehend an egg like I told him to?"

Dipper blinks. "No, he killed four basilisks and then threw the eggs at me. I caught one."

"...He what?" His posture grows stiff, and his glasses suddenly are silver, shielding his eyes from view.

Dipper tenses. "I told him to stop, I even tried to stop him, but then he... Well, he kinda dropped me from a sort of cliff."

Ford's fists clenched. "...Dipper, go back to Stan's house. The Journal should answer your questions."

"Y-yeah. Er. Thanks." He hurriedly backs out of the house. He then books it back up to his room, face pale with fear. Note to self: never make Ford mad. Also note to self: wash vest soon. But mainly the first one. Definitely the first one. Dipper sighs as he shuts the door behind him, glancing over at the egg. It looks the same as before. Hopefully that's a good thing.

He sits on the bed, gazing down at the cover. He traces the six-fingered symbol, taking a deep breath. He should have asked if Ford made this book. He probably did, but... Still would be nice to be sure. He starts flipping through the pages. Spells...Eyeball bats...The Barf Fairy...Zombies....Dipper blinks. There was a page depicting the knotholes on the trees. Huh. Maybe he wasn't insane.

"I've always felt a strange presence when looking into one. The best way I could describe it is goose-bumps and the chilling of skin. I have yet to figure out why."

That sounds rather similar to his own experience. Although he did have those weird moments with what he could only guess were yes/no commands....Did this being consider him worth some time then? Ford didn't seem to know of its existence.

The rest of the pages are just things he already noted too. Hm. Well, maybe he'll find something new. He should probably continue with finding information on the Basilisk egg.  
He can try to talk to this thing tomorrow anyway. He flips to the page on Basilisk's.

"It has come to my attention that the myth on basilisk's being born due to chickens sitting on a snake egg is entirely correct. See, there is a subspecies of chicken, native only to Gravity Falls, that will congregate in large groups and nestle into basilisk breeding grounds. In order to keep the chickens from leaving, the basilisk offer protection from predators and food. These chickens also have a natural immunity to their freezing stare."

Okay... Where can he get a chicken? Or is it good for now? How long has the egg been sat on? Hmm...He doesn't think the Journal could tell him how to check...He narrows his eyes, humming in intense thought. All of a sudden, Mabel throws the door open. "DIPPER!"

He jumps, the book fumbling in his hands before he slams it shut and looks up, eyes wide, at his twin. "Hahh. Ah. Mabel. Hi. You have something on your forehead."

"Yeah, yeah, I met people! But I saw something pretty weird at the mall! Look at this!" She shoves her palm in his face, the marker so smudged it can't be defined.

He leans back, nearly falling back onto the bed. "Um. It's your hand. And it has ink on it."

She blinks, bewildered. "Huh?" She pulls her hand back and scowls. "Dangit. Got any paper?"

He digs through his pockets and pulls out a notebook, flipping to the next open page. He offers it to her as well as a pen. She takes the pen, scribbling hastily onto the paper, again shoving it in Dipper's face. "See? See?!"

He blinks rapidly, against moving back. "Um, maybe if you stopped moving the paper and kinda... Is that an eye? But crossed out?"

"Yeah! Didn't you say something about eyes in that weird cave you fell in?" She pulls back, flopping onto her bed.

He nods dimly. "Yeah, it... kinda looked like this. A little. Without the big cross."

"It's weird. It was in a corner in the girl's bathroom. Just sitting there." She hums.

"Hm. I wonder why it's crossed out. Though it could just be some graffiti. Then again, that would be quite a bit of coincidence."

"Maybe. I thought you would find it interesting. Here's your candy, by the way." She tosses him a big bag of the stuff.

He just barely manages to catch it. "Wow. It's kinda heavy. Did it cost much?"

"I had 50 bucks, so it wasn't an issue. I got 7 dollars more then what I was supposed to get though." She shrugs, opening her own bag.

"Really? Wow, that's... The cashier is gonna get fired." He follows suit, crossing his legs.

She pops a gummy bear into her mouth. "Hey, I don't think he cares. Anyway, how was your day? Did Stan like the Mabel Juice?"

"I think he's been laying in bed all day. He looked kinda freaked out."

"Aww. It's the Springpool bake-sale all over again." She pouts.

"Well, I did find something else." His eyes slide to the egg on his bedside table.

"What is that?" She blinks, looking confused.

"It's...Um...A basilisk egg."

"WHAT?!" She screams, bolting up in her seat, and backing away, as if the egg would swallow her up.

"Shh!" He holds his hands out to her, as if trying to stop her from doing something. "I think it's the last one left. Someone else... destroyed the rest of the nest."

"..I...What?" She blinks, panic subsiding. He shifts, looking aside before explaining what had happened in the woods. The only details he left out was that of the vicious sights and noises.

"Wow. That Gideon sounds like a real jerk." She huffs.

"Yeah. Pretty much." He fidgets, this time looking out the window. The sun is sinking in the sky. "But at least I saved this egg. Which is where the Journal comes in. It has information on a bunch of creatures from around town, including the basilisks."

"Really? That's the weird book Ford was gonna give you?"

"One of them, yeah. He's using the other two." He opens the book to the page on basilisks again, showing her the detailed drawing. "I think Grunkle Ford actually wrote these, too."

"Wow...That's actually really impressive."

Dipper nods, scanning over the page. "I was going to look for stuff on basilisk eggs before you came in."

"Oh. Sorry about that."

"Nah, it's alright." He drums his fingers, glancing at the egg.

"Want me to help you take care of it?"

He grins. "That would definitely help."

"Alright. It's a done deal." She glances at the clock. "We should get to bed. It's been a long day."

"Yeah. I think the egg should be fine for now. It just needs to be warm." He neglects to add the 'I hope so,' but it's rather obvious by his slightly worried demeanor.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." She smiles in a comforting manner.

He grins lightly, nodding and closing the Journal. "Yeah. Rest would probably help."

Mabel soon changes, curling up under the covers. Dipper sets his vest in soapy water before changing.

"G'night, Dip-Dop." Mabel smiles at him softly before rolling over.

"Goodnight, Mabel." He glances at the light lamp, deciding to carefully put his blanket over it to muffle the light. Shrouded in darkness, he finds himself slowly falling asleep.

 


	7. The First Test

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait! Keep up the comments! You're doing great!

A gentle breeze rustles his hair, the supple ground shivering and tickling his exposed arms and legs. His chest expands as his eyes creak open, a subliminal exhaustion coating his back that hadn't been there before. The grass comes into focus, followed by the trees surrounding the clearing.

One of the hands is seen, which is remarkable in its own right; he hasn't remembered being able to see them before. They were black as obsidian, shiny, as if made of an inhuman material. There were 3 fingers and one thumb, each one tipped with sharp, yet kind of cute claws. The index finger reached forward and affectionately poked his nose. "Wakey-Wakey, kid!"

He jumps slightly at the contact, shifting into a sitting position. The body belonging to the arm comes into view: a triangular, brick-like, yellow form with a large, tapered eye in the upper center. He dons a top hat above his upper angle, and a bowtie under his eye, which curls in a slight smirk. His claws trill against an ebony cane.

"You've done well, kid! And I didn't even have to tell you what to do!" The being chirps, looking quite proud, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

The movement of the being's hand causes Dipper to shut his gaping mouth, blink furiously, and duck slightly. "I, um... What?"

"The basilisk egg, kiddo! You actually did the job ol' Shortstack couldn't do!" He chortles, eye briefly closing.

He blinks, then exhales slightly. "Oh, that. Right." He looks aside.

The being blinks, then literally tilts onto one side, zipping close to Dipper's face, poking a cheek. "Hey, why so glum, buddy? C'mon, you should be happy, or fascinated or something! You can see me now! Hello?" He waves his arms in an exaggerated fashion.

He leans back at the nearness, eyes widening and hands touching the place where he was poked. "Oh, no, I didn't mean to suggest that I wasn't fascinated by you, I mean, I was, you're very..." He trails off, looking aside again. "He killed all of the others. Gideon just... Used me to kill them all. And I... If I hadn't said anything he wouldn't have found them."

"Nah, he would've found them regardless! That Gideon may be annoying, but he's very smart too. I've been watching him for a while." It flaps a hand nonchalantly, spinning right-side up again, leaning back as if in a recliner.

"Geh." He makes a disgusted noise, a bitter look falling over his face. "He's immature and self-centered. You can't trust people like him."

"Yeah, I know. The worst part is, he's read the Journals, and had seen the caves too. He knows I exist."

Dipper rolls his eyes, huffing, his legs tucked close to his body. He didn't like this kid. He didn't like that he knew so much and disregarded it's meaning. He didn't like that he knew any of this in general. "Ford seemed kinda angry when I told him about what happened. I mean, I can't blame him, I'm angry myself, but he..." He shifts, remembering the chilled air that had surrounded the room. The glint of his glasses and the tenseness of his shoulders. Maybe he was just being paranoid. Maybe today had been too stressful.

"That Gideon is a smug bastard. Don't worry, kid. You have a lot more worth then he does. You clearly showed that when trying to stop him." The being pet his hair in a soothing fashion, smirk turning more calm.

"I'm not exactly sure how I did that, but alright." He sighs.

"It's because you questioned him, kid. You tried to make him reconsider, you thought of a bigger picture, of more possibilities. I need minds like that, because otherwise nothing would improve. You've proven yourself, kid. You've proven that you're better then Shortstack. And, that you deserve my praise." He tilts Dipper's chin up with a gentle claw, his gaze warm and...proud?

Dipper flushes slightly at the praise, internally buzzing and warming up to the conversation. He looks aside, but this time with a smile on his face.

"Aww, glad to know my skill with words hasn't lessened! How about we take a nice rest in here, Hm? Have a chat, snack, whatever you want!" The being drifts back, snapping his fingers.

A golden table spawns, intricate and fancy, with blue satin fabric draped over top. At the far end of the table was a large chair, almost throne-like, encrusted with a singular jeweled eye at the top, as if torn out of an Egyptian wall. The being had settled on that end, and gestured to the nearer end of the table. Another golden chair was there, covered in sapphire gems, taking the shape of a beautiful pine tree. The being snaps his fingers again, and the table was covered in food. All of Dipper's favorites.

Dipper's eyes widen at the sight, and he stands and examines the seat and food. He takes his seat, laughing slightly. This was... real. Right?

"So, there's something you ought to know. For starters, tomorrow you are officially being tested to see if wether or not you can become my pupil. I was going to go with just letting you be in my presence, but after today, you've impressed me." He winks, or blinks, who knows, and snatches up a brownie. His eye turns into a pair of lips briefly as he tosses the pastry inside.

"Um..." He was going to voice his worries over the 'tests,' but watching the being eat destroyed his thoughts. "Did your...?"

"Heheh. Sorry, forgot you guys don't have overlapping organs!" He talks through a mouthful before swallowing.

Dipper takes a coffeecake, nibbling at it. "What's your name?"

"The name is Bill, Pine Tree. Bill Cipher." He tips his hat formally.

"Bill Cipher." He murmurs the name, quietly, finding he rather liked it. He hums, before looking up. "That's not your real name."

Bill blinks, then laughs, an amused smile coming to his face. "Smart kid! Yeah, you're right, that's not my actual name. It's more of a...username. So you won't be excruciatingly killed in a mix of horror and ectasy."

He laughs twice, unsure if he's serious. "Do names really have power?"

"With cosmic entities, yes. And I certainly am one. Don't believe me?" He snaps his fingers and a dollar bill pops up in Dipper's face, highlighting the pyramid drawing.

His eyes widen. "You're... the All Seeing Eye."

"Bingo! We have a winner!" A neon light pops up overhead, flashing with multi-colored lights, the word 'WINNER' being spelled in bright blue letters. Confetti rains down from out of nowhere.

Dipper blinks. "That explains why you know so much."

Bill laughs, leaning forward slightly. "Kid, I don't know "so much!" His body lights up with random images: a UFO picture, a galaxy, the Egyptian Pyramids, Stonehenge, even the White House. Bill's voice drops immensely, almost demonic. "I KNOW EVERYTHING."

The tone makes him shiver. Everything. Bill Cipher knew everything. He could ask him any question and receive the answer. And Bill has given him praise. This cosmic god needed someone like him.

Bill's tone snaps back to normal like a flick of a switch. "Heheh. Impressed by what I am, huh?"

"Heh. Impressed is putting it lightly."

Bill smirks smugly, then adjusts his tie. "Go on, ask some questions."

"Are there other... Gods?" He sounds slightly uncomfortable with the word, but had no clue how else to phrase it.

"Oh yeah, plenty of them. Some are gods in one specific world, some travel between worlds, and very few of them ascend all of the infinite worlds that could ever exist. And, my friend, you are looking at one of the strongest Gods in all of existence." He winks, picking up a slice of cake and eating it.

He takes a deep breath, rubbing his forehead. "That's... I'm gonna have to rethink a few things."

Bill just smirks, looking more amused by the minute. "Heheh. Hey, reshaping what you thought you knew is why I'm here. I'm helping you see the truth, kid."

"I, uh....I suppose so. Heh." He grins in an uncertain fashion.

"C'mon, c'mon, ask more questions! We have the entire night, kiddo!" Bill grins, looking excited now.

"How many people know about you? And what's the extent of your ability in our... Realm? Should I call it a realm? Are you in another realm?"

Bill's eye quirks up in a satisfied smirk. It seemed quite clear this God liked to talk about himself. "Now you're getting to the good stuff. A lot of people knew me, kid. Way back in the early days. Why do you think my face is everywhere? This "realm" is known as the Mindscape, or, to be more technical, the astral plane. I'm free to peer into the dreams of every human being that has ever existed, and, if I wish, to enter those dreams and communicate with those I deem worthy."

"Like... Me? You find me... worthy?"

"That's right, Pine Tree. You're one of the smartest humans I've ever seen. And only at the age of 12. Really impressive for a human." He nods, stretching his arm to pat Dipper's head.

"I'm hardly the smartest." His eyes shift, eventually falling on the coffee cake crumbling in his hands. "Ford definitely knows more than I do."

"Oh, come on, don't bring yourself down like that! You've only been here for 2 days, and already you've stood up to one of the biggest assholes in this town. Seriously, the only one around here that's even worse is Preston Northwest." He rolls his eye, expression looking more irritated.

"Who's... That?"

"The richest man in town, and a total scumbag. Trust me. He's awful." Bill suddenly had a martini in one hand, stirring it idly as he talked.

"I'll make a note of that." Dipper eats the rest of his coffee cake. "I still have a lot to learn though."

"So, any more questions? Eh? Eh?" He looks more eager to blow the kid's mind, leaning forward in his seat.

"What kinds of creatures are around here? And why are they here instead of all over the place?"

"Ooh, those are clever ones. For your first question, pretty much almost every kind of creature you can imagine. And more. Second...Well..."

He snaps his fingers, and a hologram of the town fizzles to life in between the two. Bill adjusts his bow tie before speaking. "See, kid, there are several planes of existence, though not many know how many there are. You humans call them dimensions. You exist in the 3rd Dimension, the biggest, and yet least developed one to date. As you can imagine, this plane is heavily regarded as a sacred zone by many Gods and other entities, seeing it as a kingdom of sorts."

Bill slowly floats up out of his seat and above the hologram. "Normally, the fabric of time and space, the energy that separates all of the dimensions and infinite timelines keeps everything in check. But here, in this exact spot in the Earth..." He pushes his hand downward, and a thin star-laden film stretches from the force, as if he was pushing down on a balloon. It kept getting more and more thin until Bill's hand breaks through. The deity looks up at Dipper, a small smirk in his eye. "...The fabric is extremely thin."

Dipper blinks, eyes wide with wonder. "Is that how you can interact with us? You can... Push bits of yourself in? Can you make it all the way into here? Our dimension?

"To answer your first question, no, not yet. See, I'm fully stuck in the astral plane, with no physical body. The only way I can interact with you is if I momentarily suspend you in a day dream. Secondly, I can only enter this realm fully if a massive rip in space /time is made, like so." He hooks a claw and makes a large 'X' shaped gash in the film, and the rest of his body slips right through.

"So you can only talk through dreams?" He seems slightly disappointed, as if he was anticipating a physical meeting between the two. "Unless, of course, someone makes a rip in space-time for you. Which could be pretty bad. Or it could be pretty good. Definitely chaotic, but..." He trails off as he realizes he's rambling.

"Yes, chaotic it may be, but only in this part of the Earth. To answer your question as to why creatures can't leave this place..."

Bill sighs, a bit more melancholy all of a sudden. He slowly walks forward across the hologram all the way to Dipper, until they're at eye level with each other, and he reaches a hand out as if to touch him. A sudden force stops Bill's hand in place, rippling like a bubble. It surrounded the entire town, trapping him inside it.

The deity sighs, hand still against the field. "It's something called Supernatural Magnetism. It's a natural effect of the space/time thinness, meant to keep all of the chaos and magic inside one concentrated area. And, even if I find myself in your plane one day, I fear I may never be able to breach this containment."

Dipper doesn't know how to respond to that, instead going silent, his brow furrowed. Should he say hes sorry? Should he offer hope? Should he offer resolution? He isn't quite sure what a godly being such as Bill would desire in a time like this.

Bill pulls his hand away, and snaps his fingers to dissolve the hologram. He looks a bit downtrodden, hands at his sides. "...Sorry, I got a bit distracted there."

"It's... It's alright." Dipper rubs his arm. "You know, I think it would be rather neat to have you here, physically. You'd be able to do even more than you currently can, and probably could help people even more."

Bill blinks, then chuckles, smiling at the boy with a warm look. "Glad you think so, kiddo. I think it'd be fun too." He ruffles Dipper's hair affectionately, before drifting back, clearing his throat. He straightens up, a finger pointed in the air, seeming to have recovered his earlier pep.

"Now, back to business! Listen, Pine Tree, in order to officially take you in as my pupil, I need you to complete three tests, all of them regarding the weirdness of this town. The first one will begin today, the moment you wake up. Listen closely because I will not repeat myself again!"

Dipper nods quickly. "Of course." He wanted to help Bill as much as he could. Furthermore, he wanted to prove that he was worth Bill's time. And he would start by memorizing his first task.

"Ok, to start off, there are these tiny men living in the forest. Pointy hats, beards, and mine gems. So, gnomes basically. And before you ask, no there are no females, which doesn't make a lick of sense to me; how the fuck have they not died off yet?" Bill sighs and rubs his eye with a fist. "Keep it focused, Cipher, come on."

He turns back to Dipper, arms going behind his back. "These guys are about as plentiful as squirrels or birds, and unluckily, rather sentient. They have this weird obsession with finding a "Queen" to marry, which means they often prey on the women in the town. Normally they wouldn't be troublesome, except that they have this." He snaps his fingers and produces a large ring with a small cluster of crystals fastened on top.

"This is a rare gem that grows here in Gravity Falls, and it hypnotizes anyone who puts it on to do the bidding of those who gave it to them. As you can imagine, I don't want panic spreading around because women are suddenly going missing. So, I need you to sneak into their mines, find the ring, steal it, then dispose of it. Is that clear?" He stares at Dipper intensely, eye narrowing.

Dipper's shift as he listens, as if reading a book provided to him. He lifts his head, a determined look on his face, and nods. "Sounds simple enough. Do you want me to do anything specific with the ring? To dispose it, that is. Also, any tips on how to find the gnomes?"

Bill smirks ever so slightly before he speaks. "I honestly don't care how you do it. Throw it in a river, smash it with a hammer, whatever. Just get rid of it. With the gnomes...You can just find them by walking around long enough. The little fuckers are everywhere."

"Okay. Got it. Throw it into a volcano." He nods. "Actually, that sounds pretty good. Melt it. In case the shards still have some form of potency."

Bill blinks, then laughs a bit. "Hey, better make sure the volcano doesn't have the word 'Doom' in the title!"

Dipper snickers a little. "Yeah, I suppose that would be... problematic."

"Heheh. In all seriousness, you do not want to get caught by these guys. Best case scenario, you get bitten or scratched; those guys have oddly sharp teeth. Worst case, you get mistaken for a girl and the ring goes on you." Bill looks a bit disgusted at that last bit.

Dipper shudders slightly. "Yeah. Hopefully that doesn't happen. I'd like to keep my mind to myself, not to a bunch of stubby half-people."

"So, any questions?" He raises an inquisitive brow.

"Not right now."

"Good. It's about time for you to wake up anyway." Bill holds up an obnoxiously large pocket watch, and the time was shown to be 8:45.

"Whoa. I actually slept." His brow raises, a look of confounded shock on his face.

Bill chuckles, giving Dipper's nose a little boop. "Can't have my prodigy all tired, can I?"

"Heh. I suppose so." He pauses. "Prodigy?"

"Sorry, kid! Gotta go! Byyyyyyeee!" With a flash, the dream is swallowed up. The last thing Dipper sees from it, is Bill waving.

His eyes open in his bed. He exhales. "Right." Mabel was absent from her bed, probably downstairs. The egg sat on the pillow, looking no different from last night. The sun was already high in the sky, a bright blue with only a few clouds.

He rubs his face, standing and getting dressed. He had lost more time than he had expected. Maybe, if he could grab the things he needed and head out without being stopped....

Mabel was down in the kitchen with Stan, slathering sprinkles, strawberry jam, and butter into 2 pieces of toast. She had set aside a plate for Dipper, except it was cinnamon and sugar. Speaking of Dipper, he suddenly pops into the room. "Any breakfast yet? Ah. Toast. Thanks. Gonna go out and look around the woods for some gnomes don't worry I'll be back by sundown I promise now I'm gonna leave before you can process what I said bye!" The front door opens and slams shut.

The boy scarfed down the toast as fast as he could as he jogs through the woods. Which was rather difficult because of stupid tree stumps or roots he kept tripping over. All he needed to do was find a gnome and follow them around. He was guessing that they were near the center of the forest, if Bill's note on walking for a while was anything to go off of.

He hums, finally slowing down so as to not fall and choke on his breakfast. Maybe he could set up some bait? What would he use as bait? And where would he put it? Do gnomes eat the same things humans do? He glances down at one uneaten piece of toast. "..Maybe I could use this?"

...It could work. He decides to leave it on a flat rock and climbs a tree to wait. It takes about half an hour, and the boy nearly falls asleep several times waiting. But eventually, there was a stirring from the bushes, and a white-bearded man pops out. It looked quite small, and wore a red cap. Definitely a gnome.

It cautiously stepped up to the rock, sniffing at the bread, before grabbing it, munching on it happily. Then, a loud voice rang out, and a blue aura formed around the gnome, snatching it out of the air. "AHA! There you are! I've been looking for one of you little gremlins all day!"

Dipper tenses at the voice, holding himself back from jumping down to the ground. Gideon. Why is he here? Why is he looking for gnomes? The gnome squeals in fear, flailing his limbs as if it will somehow break him free. Gideon smirks as he walks toward the ledge, clutching his amulet tightly in one hand. "Now, listen up, you filthy squirrel-bather. You are gonna show me where the nearest gnome mine is, or I'll break both your tiny legs and leave you for the mountain lions. Is. That. Clear?"

With those last three words, Gideon takes his left fist, the one not holding the amulet, and twists it ever so slightly. The gnome immediately starts to writhe and screech in pain, his leg starting to twist in the other direction in an excruciatingly slow manner. "A-ALRIGHT! I-I'LL DO IT!"

At this, Dipper jumps down from the tree. He lands off to the side of the gnome. "Okay, enough. Stop, Gideon. Let the gnome go."

Gideon blinks, eyes going wide. "You?! What in the hell are you doing out here?!" He then pauses, understanding flashing across his face, before he scowls. "I see. The Eye has seen you as well."

"The Eye? Ah, yeah, in a manner of speaking. You're looking for the same thing I am?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I'm looking to become the Eye's pupil, and when I do, I'll be able to set this whole place straight. No more going around documenting these heathens and beasts while they prey on my townsfolk. Instead, we purge them before they purge us." Gideon snarls, his eyes burning with a malicious sort of hatred.

Dipper's eyes widen. He takes a slight step backward. "You... You just want to kill them all!? That's not what he - what anyone would want!"

"Tch. Stop babbling and sputtering like a moron. Would you really want to live in a place with acid spitting, freezing snake monsters the size of deers? Would you want to live next to little midgets that prey on woman and try and steal them from their homes? What about hoards of undead? Sirens and sea monsters in the lake? Fucking groups of minotaurs capable of crushing an oak tree with their arms?" He growls, shaking the gnome as if he was a ragdoll. The poor thing gurgles and flails weakly.

Gideon stops after a few seconds, attention going back to Dipper. "No. They're a menace to this town, and a menace to the Eye. They have no place in his presence. They have no place nowhere."

Dipper frowns, gesturing randomly with his hands. "Have you even asked him what he wants? Have you told him your views and considered his? Of course living next to creatures like these is dangerous, but that's part of living here. Thats what makes this place itself. The fact that there are these beings here exemplifies all this!"

"Now you're just speaking nonsense, boy. Things like him don't care 'bout us. They only see us as bigger meat sacks to steal from. Isn't that right?" He growls, twisting the leg of the gnome again, who screams.

He holds his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay! I'll admit, I don't know what exactly he thinks of us, but please don't kill the gnome. That won't help either of us."

"Hmm. Fine." He releases the arm, then turns to face the poor creature. "Where is the mine?"

The gnome quivers, eyes wide in fright and face ashen from pain. "I-It's further west. Near the shape changing crystals. Can't miss it."

"Good. Oh, and don't you go telling your little friends about me. Or I'll pop you like a zit." He flings the gnome away none too gently, turning to stomp away.

Dipper cringes, but doesn't turn to find the gnome. He takes a breath and follows Gideon. "Why do you do things like that?"

"Why are you following me, boy? You should just give up right now. Ain't no way you're ever gonna be the Eye's chosen." He grumbles, shooting a irritated glare his way.

"How would you know?" He keeps pace with him. He remembers what Bill had called him and works to hide the smug glint in his eye.

"Cuz you only been here for 3 days. I been here my whole life, looked over by the Eye, taught by him. You're just nothing but a city-dwelling whimp that don't know anything about this place or how it works." He growls.

Dipper's fist tightens. "I'm not a wimp and I'm definitely not as ignorant as you think I am."

"Oh yeah? Prove it." Gideon snorts, letting out a small haughty laugh.

"I know that there's something going on in the town that more than a few people know about. I'm fairly certain you and Ford are involved, and Bi-The Eye is as well. Stan... Doesnt like whatever it is that Ford is doing, and the rest of the town pretends he doesn't exist." Dipper rattles this off quickly, mentally cursing that his only skill is information. He didn't want to give Gideon anything. He didn't want him to know what he knows about Bill. But he couldn't resist an opportunity to express what knowledge he felt was safe to provide.

Gideon blinks, then turns, suddenly looking quite furious. "How dare you speak the name of the Eye! How did you even found out what it is?! You gone snooping?! Is that it? Huh? HUH?!" He grabs his amulet, suddenly yanking Dipper into the air.

Dipper yelps, trying to pinwheel his arms and failing spectacularly. The reprimanding force of the blue energy almost bruises his skin. "You said it yourself: I've only been here for three days. I haven't had any time to go 'snooping arou-'"

"DON'T YOU USE MY WORDS AGAINST ME, BOY!" Gideon roars in anger, and in a supreme fit of anger, tosses Dipper high above the trees.

He screams, before the force of suddenly falling steals his breath. Several branches thwack his chest, toppling him into the ground ina bruised, but surprisingly intact heap. He takes a breath, spiderwebs of pain sparking dully along his ribs and back. He begins to sit up, only to stop at an odd creaking noise. "What is-" Gravity suddenly takes a hold of him, darkness enveloping his vision as pieces of loose dirt fly around him. His arms scrape on the tight edges of the vertical cavern, eyes stinging when foreign objects make their way past his eyelids. His body suddenly slams into harshly packed soil and rocks. His arms, which he had stretched in front of himself, twist uncomfortably before he comes to a complete stop against a semi-noticeable wall.

Pain. Oh God, everything is in pain. Dipper clenches his teeth, taking small rattling breaths as he tries to at least somewhat move. He tries to rub at his eyes with his sleeve, wanting to get the dirt out. He hisses, hot knives stabbing across his wrists. The dirt and pain bring tears to his eyes, which brings an odd mixture of relief and discomfort to him. The boy somehow manages to shift into a sitting position against the wall. "Ahh...Please don't have my arms broken...I really don't need broken arms right now.." He blinks rapidly, trying to flush his eyes out with the tears.

His attempts work, for the most part; his eyes twinge lightly, but not as much as before. He gingerly flexes his fingers. Ah, yes. He can move his fingers with little pain. Probably not a break then. His wrists throb with a pained warmth.

"Ok...No broken limbs...I hope." Dipper ever so slowly tries to adjust his legs. His legs bump into several small boxes as he straightens his legs. What should he do now? He can just barely make out jars of... fireflies spaced out every few feet. The creatures provide only dim light, but it's something.

Dipper slowly tucks his arms into his chest, trying to be as silent as possible. He bites his lip from the pain of his wrists, and tries to get down onto his knees. The boy shuffles, looking around, wondering if he should head deeper into the mine to search for the ring, or head for the surface to regain his bearings. It was probably best to keep moving toward the ring; if Gideon had accidentally flung him in the right direction, he may be able to beat him.

On top of that, he didn't want to see Gideon so soon. He starts shuffling further down the cavern, occasionally losing balance and using his hands to keep from falling. Those always really hurt, and he may have wiped away a tear or two. Eventually, he does hear the sound of metal clanging, wheels rolling, and gruff shouting. He goes still, pressing himself against on of the walls. Ok, so this must be the main area where the gnomes mine, right? Which must mean the ring has to be near by.

He slinks closer to the nearby noises, trying to catch a glimpse of the gnomes or overhear conversation. All he hears is muffled shouting. Occasionally he hears the word 'move' or 'Shmebulok' but that is of no use. He gets down low, trying not to be seen as he peers from behind the wall of the hallway he just came through. He can see the shadows of a few gnomes at the end of the hall, but they seem to be walking away. Maybe they're heading to some storage are with the ring?

He bites his lip, glancing around the room, trying to find a way to follow the gnomes without being seen.   
The gnomes round the corner before he can discern any other routes to go. Dipper sighs quietly, stepping out of his hiding spot to look around. Now that he wasn't kneeling, he could look around much better; the main hub had a bigger ceiling.

The shape was different as well, almost circular in shape, with various halls leading to what he could only assume were deeper portions of the mine. The area was more heavily lit that other place, the firefly-like creatures bathing thee room in blue light. The ceiling arched over him in a dome. Hmm..The ceiling came up to his forehead, and it looked like it made up a crossway for an upper level, the material being wood from an oak tree. Perhaps he could try and climb this...

He always enjoyed climbing trees when he was younger. The skills required - finding the limbs to hold, where to put his feet, how much he can pull on limbs - had been refined by years of investigating forests near his home and schools. This would be easy. He reaches up, hooking his hands onto the beams despite the pain in his wrists. He takes a few breaths before lifting up his legs. He cringes, but tightens his grip on the beam. He swings his leg over the edge and holds his arms close to his chest when he's steady.

"Ahh...Really wish I could do that healing thing Bill does...Would be really handy right now." His body was probably covered in so many scrapes and bruises. His ribs twinged sympathetically at the comment, and his legs complain as he starts shuffling again. He'd endure the pain if he had to. He'd been through worse. His knees are covered in dirt and pebbles, and his breathing is just a bit ragged thanks to his aching ribs. More fireflies are seen, helplessly bumping into their glass confinements. Dipper kept a careful eye on the gnomes he was following through small cracks in the rocks, taking lefts and rights and ups and downs.

He eventually reaches a door-shaped opening that has no other exits, but does have a few small tables and benches. He hums ever so quietly, eyes narrowing as he looks it over. Was there anything blocking his path? Other than a wall? No. On the table were small pamphlets with small handwriting and diagrams. That was odd. Now he wished he had his phone to take pictures with. Dipper shrugs slightly before biting his lip. Ok, so he was at a dead end here. But where was 'here'?

He shuffles through the pamphlets, wincing when he twists his wrists too much. The pain was becoming slightly more tolerable. "C'mon, there's gotta be a map around here....Aha!" He grins, rolling one out to its full extent. Halls spiderweb across the parchment, twisting under and into each other, all originating from a central hub. He vaguely recognizes the hub as the circular room from below. Several rooms spotted throughout the complex are of near sizes to the main hub, but marked with some kind of symbol. It reminds him slightly of a jagged leaf. One of these rooms has three of these leaves.

"Hmm...3 leaves..." He taps his chin, eyes narrowing as he tries to concentrate. On any other map he would assume it meant some kind of tree, but... underground? Unless there were vents leading to the surface, he doubted there were actual trees. Maybe it meant something else to gnomes. He vaguely recalled someone calling gnomes squirrelly. Squirrels lived in trees. And squirrels often store food in knotholes...which means the area with three leaves must be the storage room!

He blinks slightly at the train of the thought. It was... unorthodox, a bit of a stretch, and reminded him more of something Mabel would say, but it felt right. Maybe the pain was clouding his judgement, but the leap of logic appealed to him in the same way gnomes and basilisks existing did. He quickly started tracing the path that would lead him toward the three-leaved symbol. After thinking for a moment, he rolls it back up, tucking it under an arm. He can always use it to search for exits that weren't the result of a collapsed ceiling.

He turns back to the hall, taking a breath and slipping back into the half-light. Dipper looks around quickly before making his way down toward the roadway. He crawls and shuffles in certain places, and can nearly walk at full height in others. The path he follows curves ever so slightly, but enough for him to notice the angle. He hums, briefly licking the tip of his finger and holding it up. He can feel a very slight breeze. So whatever was in the storage room must be connected to the outside.

Maybe there really is just a tree in the room. Maybe the map he found only noted exits to the forest. He pushes aside the thought and continues down the hall. Eventually, a strange pink light begins to flood what appears to be the end of the hall. Dipper squints heavily as he nears the area, eyes almost burning with the intensity. He pauses, eyes slowly adjusting to the light, and examines the area where the light is spilling out of.

A large, crystallized tree stands in the middle of the room, which is, compared to the rest of the mines, absolutely huge. The leaves appeared to be small needle-like crystal shards, undoubtably sharp to the touch. The roots spiraled and looped across the ground in an aimless pattern, and the height of the tree was staggering. It looked to be at least the size of a standard apartment building, growing so wide and tall that there are several small holes to the outside flooding in even more light.

The whole tree itself seemed to be glowing a light pink color, and blue fireflies were congregated in vast numbers around the trunk and branches. Treasures, gems, and other gnome trinkets appeared to be thrown into piles near the roots, oddly enough. A rather disorganized system if you ask him.

Dipper takes a moment to simply evaluate the sheer impossibility of the tree. It holds a lively quality, like that of a normal tree, yet appears to be made of solid crystal. It glows, but without any immediately recognisable sources of energy. He'll have to write about this in his notebook. He scans the tree for any safe path down to it's roots. There is a single entryway leading out to the lower level of halls, but he scraps the idea of returning to the main hub and navigating back to this place. He didn't have a long time in this place. Perhaps he could try to make his way down through the tree's limbs? The gem leaves glint treacherously in their own light.

He swallows, but decides its probably the only chance he has. Think of it as like acupuncture. Horrible, painful acupuncture. He takes a breath, reaching for the nearest branch. His fingertips brush along the leaves, thankfully not the points. He winces as he hooks his fingers in, then quickly swings from the ledge to the branch. The edges of the leaves dig into his palm, but easily bend under his shoes. He carefully ducks under some leaves that are on eye level with him.

He attempts to peer through the branches, the leaves clinking together at the movement and creating a high-pitched rattling. Dipper winces harshly, biting his lip as he hears nearby shuffling. He glances toward the movement, his vision obscured by the gently swaying limbs. He can almost make out something light blue at ground level.

Wait...light blue? Dipper's eyes widen and before he can move, a large locked chest crashes right into the branch the boy was crouched upon, breaking it off the rest of the tree and sending both him and it flying in an explosion of crystal shards. The crystal leaves cut and scratch at his skin, but he luckily enough falls only a small distance, careening toward an outstretched cliff ledge. He lands in a large patch of soft, golden moss, questioning why he has such a propensity for falling and similar accidents.

"God damn it, boy! Why is it that you never learn your lesson?" Gideon was growling from below, hand leaving his amulet.

Dipper shakily stands, brushing off shards of gem leaves and frowning at him. "What exactly was I supposed to learn?"

"To stay away from my title. I WILL become the Eye's pupil, and you can't stop me. Want to know why?" He grins maliciously, holding up the ring in his palm.

A strike of panic hits him. "You've... already found it."

"That's right, boy. All I had to do was jump down from one of the holes in there. I'm actually surprised you got here at all. Thought I broke your spine or something." He tosses the ring from hand to hand, looking extremely smug.

"I've been told that I'm surprisingly resilient when it comes to injuries." His wrists throb from the memory; the rest of his body tenses in anticipation.

"Hmm..A pity. You really don't want to get in my way again. Is that what you're planning to do?" Gideon's eyes narrow.

"That depends on what you're going to do." He glances at the ring, doubting that Gideon would actually dispose of the thing.

Gideon follows his gaze, and smirks, chuckling. "Oh, so you think I'm gonna use it on someone, eh? Pfft. What use could I have for a mind-control ring? When I become the Eye's pupil, the powers I'll obtain will make this look like sheer child's play." He grins, pocketing the ring.

"Then I guess you'll have to forgive me for not believing you." He glances toward the various entry ways leading out of the room. "But maybe we should handle this when we get out of here. From what I've heard and read, gnomes don't like trespassers."

"We? Who's we? You're on your own, I ain't helping you!" Gideon growls, then pauses when there's the quickly approaching noise of multiple boot steps mixed with the clanging and scraping of metal. Weapon wielding gnomes were probably far from a good thing.

Dipper bites back a curse. "We don't have the time to argue. I'm trying to help you. I know the nearest exit. It leads straight to the surface."

Gideon growls, but quickly uses his amulet to fly up to Dipper's location. He jabs him hard in the chest with a thick finger, snarling like a bull. "I ain't accepting your help, boy. Know that."

Dipper sighs, rolling his eyes. "Right. Whatever. Uh...." He scans the ledge, finding it connected to three halls. He points to the largest one. "That one. I think." He peers inside, yelping and jumping back when a spear is launched at him. "Not that one. This one." He chooses one of the remaining tunnels at random and starts running.

Gideon starts running right behind him, yelping when a steel-tipped arrow whizzes past his ear, the weapon careening past them and hitting a crystal in the wall, making it explode into fragments. "God damn-! What the fuck are in those things? Is this mine made out of gun powder or something?!"

"We'll figure it out later! Stop wasting your breath yelling about stuff!" Dipper skids slightly as he makes a sharp left hand turn. He vaguely notices that these halls are lit by small, naturally smoothed crystals. As he half runs into the wall and half staggers to catch himself, he yanks a crystal free and shoves it into his pocket.

"Says the one who's yelling at me!" Gideon growls, only to almost crash into Dipper when he staggers into the wall, causing him to stumble back with a curse. In the dim light, there was a small flash before a screech filled the air. An arrow had cut a thin, but long gash into Gideon's right side, the fabric quickly growing stained with blood. The pocket holding the ring was torn right through. Dipper's eyes widen at the sight, his impulse immediately making him backtrack to Gideon, snatching up the ring before pulling Gideon's arm to get him move again.

Gideon was too busy cursing up a storm and holding his injured side to notice. The gnomes all cheer behind them, overjoyed that blood had been shed. Wait, blood. They can smell the blood. Shit! They aren't going to get rid of these things easily. Dipper starts muttering under his breath at the realization, barely noticing the obscene ramblings of probability.

"If you could stop...babbling like a....a drunken priest, maybe you could focus on..finding the damn exit?!" Gideon's snarling through harsh breaths pierces through Dipper's train of thought.

"Right. Right. Yeah. Next right." Dipper, still clutching Gideon's arm and forcing him to practically skip with his fast running pace, ignores an intersection in favor of chasing after the sweet glimpse of bright, yellowish light. "Never mind. Right up ahead. Forget I said anything. I meant straight. Definitely meant straight."

"You're going to get us both fucking killed..." Gideon mutters under his breath, the blood stain starting to grow.

"I just have issues articulating under stress!" They break out into the forest, the natural sunlight burning their eyes and the dry summer air making them cough. Dipper throws a careless glance at the sky as several arrows blossom on nearby tree trunks. Gideon, at the moment his feet touched grass, turns around, his bloodied hand grasping the amulet. The boulders and rocks from the cave-in all start to levitate and fly toward the attacking gnomes while a large stone slab is, rather shakily, lifted up from a few feet away. Gideon is gritting his teeth and sweating, fingers on his upraised hand twitching in all sorts of directions. Screams and the splattering of skulls are heard from inside the mines.

The stone slab slowly ends up landing on top of the cave-in, covering up the massive hole. Gideon lets his hands drop and he collapses to his knees, looking slightly paler then usual. He cough hard into a sleeve, and when he pulls it away, there's a few speckles of blood. Gideon grimaces. "Ugh...Dammit.."

Dipper quickly scans the area, looking for any remaining threats, but finds none. He kneels next to Gideon. Oh God. That's a lot of blood. He should have grabbed the arrow, in case it was poisoned. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah...Just..Give me a second.." He lets the blood-caked amulet drop back onto his chest. It was still glowing slightly. He wants to ask about the amulet. Was it just something he could channel powers through? Did it have those powers? Could anyone else use it? He glance over Gideon and decides this really is not the best time.

Eventually, the wounded boy gets to his feet with a grimace. "Eugh...It's a bad one, but I'll be fine. Suffered worse." Gideon pats the side of his jacket where it was torn, and his face goes white. "...Oh no."

"What?" He prepares himself to grab him, expecting the kid to pass out or something. Anything really.

"The ring is gone. It's fucking gone. It must've gotten dropped when that arrow hit my suit! DAMMIT!!" Gideon grits his teeth, face slowly going red, shaking with rage.

"Hey, we can come back. He never said how long we had to take. And you're bleeding a lot."

"IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE IN THE SPAN OF A DAY YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH!" He suddenly grabs Dipper by the collar of his shirt, damn near shaking him as he screams. "I don't care if I'm bleeding! What I care about is fulfilling this damn quest!"

Dipper jumps slightly at the outburst, hands instinctively splaying out as if a police officer were pointing a gun at him. His eyes are wide. "I think we're both of more use to... The Eye alive than dead. You really do not look good. You're bleeding a lot. We should try and get to Ford. Maybe he can help you."

"I can help myself! I ain't letting anyone see you, a god damn waste of space, helping me with anything!" Gideon snarls, shoving Dipper back before turning to stumble away, clutching his bloodied side with a deep scowl.

"Fucking come back...and find the ring...murder all those rabid sons of bitches...all of them getting smashed like bugs..." A giddy, unsettling grin twitches up his lips, and it's uncertain if its happening because of pure rage, or the blood loss.

Dipper watches, worried. "Gideon...."

"LEAVE ME ALONE YOU FUCKING PEST! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! IF YOU HADN'T JUST GIVEN UP AND NEVER FOLLOWED ME IN THERE, THEN I WOULDN'T HAVE LOST THE RING!" Suddenly Gideon's hand grasps his amulet, and Dipper suddenly feels a harsh constriction around his throat.

He scrabbles at his neck, desperately trying to wheeze in a breath. The barest amount of air whistles into his lungs with the softness of sand paper. Gideon flings the boy hard against one of the trees before stumbling off, wheezing slightly and cursing in a deranged manner. Dipper's body goes limp, his eyes unfocused and hazy in a half stupor. His body cannot handle much more pain.

The air became charged with that crackling tension once more, and the eyes surrounding the trees began to glow. Except, this time, Bill himself appeared, looking quite aggravated, arms crossed. "God damn, kid. How many times do I have to heal you? I mean, it's like you're a walking punching bag or something."

Regardless, he carefully starts to heal Dipper, blue flames sparking from his claws, encircling any wounds or scrapes that the deity can see and healing them up. After that, he cups the boy's chin, leaning in close, noting the bleakness of his eyes. "Hey, Pine Tree. Can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?" He raises two claws in the air.

Dipper's characteristic reaction of flinching at touch comes slowly, as well as much more sluggishly. His eyes shift, evidently trying to focus on the fingers in front of him. "T-too m'ny."

Bill visibly winces, drifting back slightly. "Ooh, that's not good. Shit." He sighs, looking down and tapping right under his eye as he tries to think. How the hell was he going to get the kid out of this? He can't exactly move in this state, and if he did, the likelihood of him getting a concussion would shoot through the roof. Dammit.

Dipper swallows and sits more upright. He brings a hand to his forehead, cringing. "Bill?"

Bill grabs his wrist gently, looking worried. "Hey, hey. Take it easy, just don't move too much. You may have a bit of a concussion and I don't want to make it worse." His eye darts around, brow furrowed in concentration. He then glances back up.

"...Kid, this will seem scary. But you have to trust me on this. Ok?"

He blinks, then nods and brings a hand up to touch Bill's hand. "Okay."

Bill's eye briefly closes, only to flare blue, and Dipper feels a sort of pulling sensation around his entire being. Everything seems to dim and swirl, as if he had just sunk into water, and he briefly seems to lose track of his own self. He could feel nothing, and his vision was so badly blurred he couldn't even make out his hand. It just seemed...bleak.

Then, all at once, it all seems to flood back, and Dipper gasps, flailing and coughing aimlessly as he fights to get ahold of his scrambling mind. Everything was different. There was a subtle high-pitched ringing in his ears, there was no air, no sound, no feel or smell. Just bleak grey, white, and black trees that seemed to ascend into a dark unending void. Staring into it made his temples pound and his eyes water. He lifts a hand and attempts to rub the tears away, but yelps when his hand goes right through. His whole body was clear, having a light blue tint, and was floating in mid-air. What...What was happening?

He tries to take a breath, but finds the feeling useless. He can't... he can't breathe. He tries touching his neck, but his hand passes through. This...What is this? Where is this? "Bill? Wh-what...?" His voice cracks slightly as he looks up at him.

There was a small bit of movement that catches his eyes, and he looks down. His own body was beginning to twitch and move, clearly still reeling from the harsh blow to the head. Slowly, his head raises, and two bright yellow eyes meet Dipper's. the pupils were dark slits, like that of a snake, and seemed to almost glow with a haunting golden flare.

Bipper's face twists in pain, and Bill's voice is heard as he struggles to speak. "Ugh...Fuckin'...flesh sacks..."

"B-Bill? Is that...? Are you in my...?" He's hesitant on continuing his train of thought.

"Sorry, kid. Had to...yank out your soul so I could...take control...You couldn't...move on your own. So, I thought I could help." Bipper slowly stumbles to his feet, shaking as his skin grows rapidly paler. He groans in pain, but starts to sluggishly move forward.

"Heh..Welcome to the Mindscape, kid. My domain. Sorry I didn't spruce the place up; didn't know...this would happen so soon...Heheh..Ugh, it hurts to laugh."

"Yeah, I hit my stomach on a branch. Made of rock. Long story." He mentions this idly, looking over his body as Bill stumbles around.

"Kid...Follow me. You can float, you know. You're.." He pauses to cough. "..Basically a ghost..."

"I... Yeah, that makes sense. Geez. I don't look very good."

"Heh. Don't worry. P-Pain kind of tickles to me. Haven't felt it at all for a looooong time. Heheh...Ow..." He smiles almost deliriously up at Dipper and slowly reaches into the pants pocket.

"Sure, you may suffer a mild concussion, but at least you won, right?" Bipper pulls out the ring, grinning. He looks rather proud.

If Dipper had a physical body, he would probably have blushes at the candid look on Bipper's face. He stammers, flustered. "Why is it that you can heal broken bones and cuts but not concussions?!"

"It's part of the mind, Pine Tree. I can't do anything to your mind unless you let me in. And since that's such a big deal, I want to save that for a special occasion." Bill chuckles, giving a wink. "Now, which way is home?"

Dipper glances around, notes the position of the sun, and then points in the general direction of his grunkles' houses.

"Thanks, kid. Oh, and sorry if your body starts crying blood. Nasty side effect." Bill snickers.


	8. The Dump

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *busts down door and shoves candy into your arms* I'm so sorry! A lot of shit came up and we weren't able to get together and write stuff out for nearly 2 weeks and it sucked but hopefully we're back! 
> 
> Please leave comments, just so I know you guys are still into this story!
> 
> EDIT: I...Wow. I missed a whole paragraph. Whoops.

"Any breakfast yet? Ah. Toast. Thanks. Gonna go out and look around the woods for some gnomes don't worry I'll be back by sundown I promise now I'm gonna leave before you can process what I said bye!" The front door opens and slams shut.

Well, that was unexpected. Mabel blinks dumbly as she stares at the door to the house, frozen to the spot, hand still raised to take a bite out of her sprinkled Nutella toast. After a few moments, she snaps out of her stupor, and places the toast back down, brow furrowed. "Huh....That was weird. Did he say gnomes?"

Stan slowly places his coffee mug on the table. "Mabel, continue eating. I have to talk to my brother." He stands, making his way to the front door.

"..Uhh..Ok." She flinches when the door slams shut, a lot more forcibly then before. That probably wasn't a good sign. Didn't Ford mention that they had a rather...tense relationship? Oh God. What if there was a fight?

She kinda wanted to see the fight. She also wanted to stop the fight. With a mournful glance at her breakfast, she gracelessly shoves the rest into her mouth, before running outside. Mabel kept her movements as careful and as quiet as she could, slightly grimacing at the feeling of cold mud sinking between her toes. Probably should've grabbed slippers. Whatever, shoes could wait. The porch to Ford's house looked normal enough; no broken windows or any sign of anything toppled over, so nothing must've gotten physical just yet. That was good.

She manages to creep over to the side of Ford's house, craning her neck, standing on her toes in an attempt to peer inside. Mabel can see at least twice as many candles inside the room, likely Ford's kitchen, each of varying shades of gold and red. A few black candles were placed here and there. Ford, seated in a chair at the table and reading the newspaper, has his back to Mabel. He looks up as Stan enters the room.

Mabel's eyes widen as the paper is slapped out of Ford's hands, Stan grabs him by the collar of his turtleneck, and starts screaming. She then blinks when she realizes she can't hear anything. What kind of person installs glass that thick? She holds her breath, straining to catch any word she could hear.

"..at... inking... comple... actually gave him... ks... is dangerous.... say... nk... nt be..." Stan shakes Ford at what she can only assume are the beginnings of sentences. Ford, surprisingly enough, barely reacts while Stan shouts. He replies quietly at certain moments, though it could have been possible that Stan hadn't heard him.

Mabel clenches her fists as she watches, really hoping this doesn't escalate any further. Her family fighting is something she just couldn't stand. But, then again, if it did turn physical, what could she do? Something Ford says makes Stan go quiet. He puts a hand on his brother's shoulder, continuing the explanation. Stan shakes his head, a reluctant sort of sneer occupying his face. Ford flips his hand in the same way a teacher might offer a third possibility to a tough question.

Mabel relaxes for a few moments, sighing softly in relief. Ok, it didn't seem to be going that bad so far. All they had to do was not throw any punches, and everything would be fine....Right?

Something in Stan's expression crumples. His grip on Ford's sweater lessens until he slowly and easily sits back in his chair. He takes a sip of his coffee, waiting for Stan to continue. His six fingers drum along the mug's side in a show of impatience. Mabel raises an eyebrow at the sight, blinking. That was beyond unexpected; from what she gathered of Stan so far, when he got angry, it took a long while for him to snap out of it. But Ford must've really got to him to make him stop THAT quick.

Stan sighs, rubbing his face and murmuring under his breath. He stops after a moment, his uncovered eye suddenly piercing into Ford. His lips move, hesitant in the middle and end of the sentence. A question maybe. Ford tilts head, then nods while shrugging. He puts the mug on the table and gesticulates with his hands a bit, then reigns himself back in and folds his arms against his chest. He shrugs again, six fingers flaring against his cheek for just a moment.

Mabel sighs, slowly lowering herself down from her toes. If they weren't screaming, there was no way she could hear them at this point. It was probably best to just go back inside, get dressed and pretend that this never happened. After all, it's not like Stan would just tell her what was going on. She makes her way back to Stan's house, slipping inside and carefully cleaning her feet of mud.

She then walks back up to her section of their room, getting dressed. After that, she sits back on her bed, humming to herself. So, Stan was mad because Dipper went into the forest. And, for some reason, he was blaming Ford? That's the best she could come up with as of right now. She vaguely remembers her parents worrying about them running about the city parks by themselves, and can somewhat see why Stan would be worried. But he didn't know Dipper. Dipper could get into any kind of mess and make it out without a scratch. Like with the basilisk. He didn't need protecting. Most of the time.

She sighs, eyes closing briefly. It was probably best not to think about this for much longer. Perhaps the best course of action would be to go out and have a fun day. She did have Grenda's and Candy's phone numbers. Maybe they can go on a walk or talk about random stuff. Ooh! They could do both! With a small grin, she reaches for her phone, quickly beginning to text the two of them.

Candy sends her the address of a nearby park. Grenda sends, "OOOOOHHHHHH!!!!" followed by a series of excited emojis. Mabel suppresses a snort, shaking her head in amusement. Never change, Grenda. Never change. She sits up, getting on her shoes just as she hears Stan enter the house again.

"Mabel?" Stan's voice carries up the stairs, tinged slightly with worry.

"Up in my room!" She hears a soft sigh.

"Alright. Just wanted you to know that I'm back."

"Ok...Uhh, Grunkle Stan, I'm going to go hang out with Candy and Grenda. You know, those two girls at the mall? Is that ok?" She peeks her head out of the door, biting her lip.

"Yeah, sure. Be careful." Grunkle Stan's voice comes from the kitchen, sounding preoccupied by other thoughts. Mabel hesitates for just a few moments, then decides to walk down the stairs and out the door.  
She glances at Ford's house, then back at Stan's, before turning to the main road in Gravity Falls. Maybe Stan would feel better later in the day. Whatever Ford told him might require him to chew on it for a while.

She eventually sees Candy and Grenda standing outside Greasy's diner. She smiles and jogs toward them. "Hey, you two!"

"Hey, Mabel!" The two wave, hurrying up to her. "How was your morning?"

"It was good. My brother ran off into the woods, screaming something about gnomes. So, I got the whole day to myself!" She grins.

Candy giggles. "Wow. He must be incredibly intrigued by the local fauna."

"Considering he got snatched by a basilisk on his first day here, I'd say so." Mabel grins.

Grenda scratches her chin. "I heard a little about that. He managed to scare it off or something, right? You think we could meet him at some point?"

Mabel laughs, a bit amused by the statement. "I guess I can introduce you to him. He's probably not what you're expecting though."

She starts to walk, swinging her arms lazily. "So, where to?"

Grenda and Candy walk alongside her. "There's a nice park on the other side of town. We can walk around, rest when we need too. Scope out a few guys." Grenda raises a scandalous eyebrow, smirking.

Mabel can't help but erupt in giggles as she blushes. "Ooh! Now you're speaking my language!"

"Do you have a kind of guy in mind?" Candy smiles lightly, seeming slightly furtive in the conversation.

"Uhh...Not really? Sure, I've thought of boys, but never really figured out what I'm into? I..kind of would leap at any boy that looked at me funny back in school." She looks a bit sheepish.

Grenda pounds a fist into her open palm. "Then we find the ones that look hot and rich!"

Mabel jumps slightly, but smiles and laughs. "Ok! Sounds like a plan! What are you two into?"

Candy shifts, pushing a dark curl behind her ear. "I've always been into the hero types. Humble, slightly shy, loyal..." She trails off, flushing slightly.

Grenda chuckles. "Candy's a hopeless romantic. I just want someone who'll take me seriously, you know? Don't know much else besides that."

"Ahh. Sound like nice choices to me." Mabel smiles a bit at the thought.

"We've been working on this for a while, to be honest. But it changes every now and then." Candy giggles suddenly, glancing at Grenda. "Just the other day, Grenda wanted to ask out this guy from a biker club just because he had spikes on his jacket."

Mabel blinks, chuckling as she holds a hand to her mouth in shock. "Oh my God, you've got to be kidding me."

"He looked really nice in that jacket!" Grenda flushes slightly. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"Heh. That's pretty bad. I once flirted with a boy just because he asked to be my lab partner in science class." Mabel blushes even harder, looking away with a small smile.

"I try not to flirt with people in school. Helps keep things from getting awkward." Candy shrugs, looking away.

"Well, school was all I had. Piedmont is kind of a large city, not a small town community like this." She spreads her arms, gesturing all around her.

"I suppose that could be a barrier." Candy glances around. "Gravity Falls doesn't entirely attract newcomers, but every now and then tourists come through to sight-see."

"Let me guess, they then get chased off by all the crazy wildlife?" Mabel glances at her, eyebrow raised.

"In one way or another." Candy rubs one of her arms. "There is a story about a cannibal..."

Mabel immediately stops walking, one foot still raised in the air as her eyes go wide. She spins around on her heel so fast her hair smacks Grenda in the face. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa. WHAT?!"

"Yeah, there might be a cannibal on the outskirts of town. Thats why we all live near the center of town. That and the forest." Candy takes a step back, looking hesitant.

"...Whelp, that settles it! We're gonna go hunt a cannibal!" Mabel pounds a fist into her palm, grinning in a determined fashion.

Candy's eyes widen as Grenda cheers. "Tell me you aren't serious. What if he catches us?"

"Don't worry, I got a secret weapon with me. He can't eat us with glitter in his eyes!" She giggles.

Candy blinks, looking bewildered. "Glitter?"

"Yeah, I kind of use glitter for everything. You should've seen me the one time I used chemicals from the bathroom to make glitter bombs. Heh...I probably shouldn't have given them to the cheer-leader team."

Grenda chuckles. "Sounds like we have a plan then. I think the Dump is further down this way."

"Lets go, then!" Mabel pumps a fist in the air as she begins to jog in that direction.

Grenda follows, and Candy worriedly grabs the back of her shirt. "I'm telling you guys, this isn't a good idea."

"Don't be a party pooper! Besides, what else can we do?" Mabel grabs Grenda's wrist, pulling at it to make her go faster.

"We could go to the park, like we were originally planning." Candy let's herself get dragged for a few moments before moving next to Grenda again. "People normally don't just go around searching for cannibals. That's the kind of stuff Gideon and Mr. Stanford do."

"Well, my bro-bro's doing it too! I can't be stood up by him! Seriously, he beats me at EVERYTHING." Mabel rolls her eyes, looking slightly annoyed.

"WATCH OUT!" Candy screeches, grinding to a halt, grabbing at Grenda's shirt and yanking. The bigger girl chokes a bit and stops dead, causing Mabel to stumble.

She yelps, windmilling her arms as she accidentally falls back into Grenda, who manages to catch her. After a few moments of sputtering and dragging the hair out of her face, she whips around to glare at Candy. "What the heck was that?!"

She points, body shaking and pale. Mabel follows the gesture to a small, pink, salamander-like aquatic being slithering across their path.

She stares at it, an eyebrow slowly raising up. "Uhh...You're scared of a newt?"

"It's an axolotl. They're poisonous." Candy shuffles slightly behind Grenda, shaking.

"...Are you sure?" Mabel blinks, going down on a knee to get a better look at it.

It flicks it's tongue, tilting it's head slightly before scampering off into the forest. Grenda walks a bit closer. "It's a sorta superstition in the town. They bring bad luck and all."

Mabel stands up, hands folded. "Huh. That's weird."

"If there are axolotls nearby, then we must go back." Candy tugs on Grenda's arm. "It's not safe here!"

"Come on, Candy. I'm sure it'll be fine. Just because you saw one lizard doesn't mean we're gonna die or anything." Mabel places a hand on her shoulder.

She frowns. "This isn't a good idea, Mabel."

"Ok, look at it this way. There's three of us, and one of him. And even if something does happen, the town will know where to look, right?"

"Not if he brings us somewhere else. No one knows where he... prepares people."

"It can't be that far from the town, and there's no way he'd go into the forest. You know, because of the monsters? It'll be fine!" Mabel flaps a hand dismissively.

Another axolotl scurries across the path and into the forest. Mabel flinches as Candy practically screams, clinging harder to Grenda, who tenses at the action, trying to glance back at her. Candy's eyes are wide, glasses askew, while her hands clench at Grenda's shirt and arm. Her face is pale.

Mabel's expression softens at the look on her face, and sighs. "Candy, you don't have to go."

She shifts, then swallows and fixes her glasses. "I can't just let you go by yourselves though."

"We'll be fine. Pinky promise." She holds out a pinky, smiling softly.

She takes a breath, releasing Grenda and taking a step forward. "A-alright. Pinky promise."

Mabel smiles, giving her pinky a good shake. She then turns to Grenda. "Let's go! Or we'll lose the lizard!"

"Yeah! Chase it!" "Axolotl," Candy mumbles, practically inaudible over their cheering. The two of them stomp off into the brush, making quite the racket. Lazy vines snag unsuccessfully at their sneakers, tree limbs reaching toward them while simultaneously providing shadows to hide from the harsh sun. The air grows somewhat damper, less arid, as they pursue the center of the forest. The pale pink amphibian scuttles impossibly fast under fallen tree limbs and over greyish rocks. They were lucky the creature was such an odd color in comparison to the rest of the forest; had it been better camoflauged, they would have never been able to follow it.

Mabel puts a hand over her eyes as she looks around, grunting in frustration. "Ugh, where did it go?"

The odd creature slithers out from a pile of leaves, jumping over a couple roots before scampering ahead of them.

"There it is!" "Get it!" Both Mabel and Grenda shout in unison, running after it. It scrambles over logs and under bushes, then escapes by crossing the tree line. The pink creature squirms under a wire fence and into the Dump.

Mabel and Grenda skid to a stop at the point where the forest becomes flat land, the former staring up at the large fence surrounding the dumpster. "Whoa..."

"It went inside." Grenda follows the axolotl's path with a finger. The creature is joined by one, two, three, five others of its kind. The group skitters toward a small, hunched mass further inside the Dump. Though their vision was partially obscured by random trash items, they could discern an odd... almost writhing pile of pink flesh. On occasion, a knobbly hand, or a tattered shoulder, would appear from under the mass.

Mabel wrinkles her nose in slight disgust. What the hell was even in there?! Some sort of odd fused-together amalgamation of lizards, flesh and limbs? Did that mean the creatures were willingly conglomerating into a single organism? That's just... really freaking weird. "...I'd use a phrase to describe what I'm seeing right now, but Im not allowed to say it yet." Is all Mabel can say.

"Same." Grenda's gruff voice falls to a whisper.

"What should we do? Take a picture?" She glances at her cautiously.

"I have my phone," Grenda offers, patting her pocket.

"...Yeah. Gotta show this to Dipper later." She nods, looking back at the fence.

She takes out her phone, quickly snapping a few photos of the scene in front of them. "Should I take a video?"

"Yeah. Need all the footage we can get...Let's try and get closer." She begins to slowly creep down the ledge.

Grenda turns the camera to video and follows her. The feed comes out slightly jumbled as they approach, but certain objects are identifiable. Mabel tries to carefully cling onto Grenda's arm in an effort to keep steady, but she yelps in pain when her foot suddenly slips out from under a loose rock, and she feels her ankle twist, despite Grenda catching her so she doesn't fall. "Agh-!"

The pink creatures go still, the blob seeming to tense and turn toward them. Mabel pales harshly, and she whispers softly to Grenda. "..I can't run. Not with a hurt ankle."

"I can carry you. Take the camera." Right as she moves, the blob starts loping toward them at an alarmingly high speed.

Mabel quickly takes the phone, grunting in pain as she manages to wrap her arms around her neck. She shakily points the camera at the blob, which was climbing over the fence. "Go, go, go!"

Grenda tightens her grip on Mabel, bolting back in the direction they came. The blob was now gaining on them quickly, and Mabel could feel her heart stop as she heard a nigh inhuman screeching. "GIT OUT!! GIT!!!"

"FASTER, FASTER, FASTER!!!" Mabel slaps at Grenda's shoulder, who then leaps over a log. Leaves and branches thwack at their faces, twigs breaking into their hair and making small cuts into their skin.

"GIT ON OUT OF HERE YOU DEVILS! I'LL GUT YOU!! I'LL GUT YOU AND DRAIN YOU!" The blob screamed again, swiping at the two girls, missing them by an inch. The two scream, feeling the swipe of air behind them. A moment later, they see a blur of color and a loud, near hollow noise, shortly followed by a thump and groan of pain.

Candy was standing over the blob, holding a log in her hands, teeth gritted in anger. "Go back to the pit where you belong you slimy beast!"

The creature pushes itself away, holding onto it's face and mumbling agitatedly. "Gotta git outta here. Shouldn't be here. Go away!"

"I said leave. Or do I need to hit you again?" She whacks at a supposed leg with the log. The creature yelps, quickly gathering itself up and hobbling back into the forest with an anxious, lumbering gait. Candy watches it for a few moments, then drops the log, mumbling under her breath in a foreign language. She then turns to Grenda and Mabel, arms crossed and looking stern.

Mabel laughs, shrinking back slightly with a sheepish grin. "...Uhh...We got pictures?"

"I told you two that thing was dangerous!" She clenches her hands into fists, looking rather indignant. "But, no, you run into the woods looking for it."

"Sure, it was dangerous, and yeah, we were nearly gutted and drained of blood, but we got footage!" She grins and holds up the phone for her to see.

"Isn't that exciting? Grenda, tell her it's exciting!" She elbows her lightly.

"..It was pretty awesome." Grenda shrugs carefully, not wanting to jostle Mabel too much, who suddenly gasps, pointing at Candy with such force she has to back up a step to avoid getting hit, grinning wide.

"Oh! And you saved us from the monster too! Maybe Grunkle Ford will give you a medal or something!"

Candy blinks. "What? Me? I... No. Not for something...." She nearly a blushes at the thought.

"C'mon, Chiuy! Give yourself some credit! I mean, you saved his grand niece from a weird cannibal lizard-man! You have to admit.." She pauses and looks around, lifting a hand up to her mouth as if to tell a secret. "That's pretty god damn cool."

"I..." Candy glances back in the general direction of the creature. "I suppose it was cool. But it was also really dangerous. I don't want you two to be in harm's way."

Mabel flaps a hand nonchalantly. "Pfft. The worse Ford can do is ground me. I mean, look at me! I'm adorable!" She points to her cheeks as she gives a bedazzling smile.

Candy relaxes slightly. "Yeah, i suppose you're right. Let's get back home, then."

"Right-o. Onwards, Grenda! Mush, mush!" She pats Grenda's head, who snickers, continuing to walk. Candy follows, easily walking next to them.

Soon, the two of them reach the clearing containing the Grunkle's houses. Ford was seen outside, humming as he lit a few new candles onto the stairway. Grenda shifts Mabel in her arms slightly. "Should I get your uncle? For your ankle, that is."

"Yeah. You probably should." She nods, watching calmly. Candy was shifting from foot to foot, almost nervous.

"MR. PINES!" Grenda half-runs, half-jogs over to Ford, trying to not bounce her injured friend too much. "MABEL'S HURT!"

Ford yelps at the sudden shout, fumbling with a candle he was in the middle of lighting and accidentally setting the left corner of his trench coat on fire. He frantically pats it down, looking up as Grenda runs toward him. "W-What is it? Broken bone? Gash?"

"I think it's just a sprained ankle." Grenda shifts her grip, careful to not agitate the injury. "We were running in the woods."

"Oh dear...Let me take her. You two go back home, ok?" Ford holds out his arms.

Grenda maneuvers Mabel into his arms. "Of course, Mr. Pines."

Mabel huffs. "I'm not a delicate piece of glass, guys."

"According to Stan you are, and I, frankly, don't want to get yelled at." Ford grumbles as he walks back to his house.

"Ah. Stan just has to get to know me. And Dipper. Dipper always gets himself into trouble." She flaps a hand dismissively.

Ford gives a small chuckle, lifting a hand and ruffling her hair, balancing her on one arm."Heheh. I've noticed. Where is he anyway?"

Mabel shifts herself as Ford sets her down in a chair. "Uh. I don't know exactly. He kinda just said he was going to look around the woods for gnomes or something. He actually slept last night too, which might explain why he seemed so energetic."

Ford hums slightly as he digs out a first-aid kit from a loose floor-board. "Does he not usually sleep well?"

"He was diagnosed with insomnia when he was nine."

"Nine? What kinds of things was he doing at the age of nine for him to gain a stress-induced condition?" He looks rather startled, mouth turning down in a confused frown.

She shrugs. "He had a nightmares for a while. Mostly he just couldn't sleep. He was really restless. Still is." She snickers. "Should have seen Grunkle Stan when he found out Dipper had stolen his coffee maker."

Ford stares for a moment, and then chuckles softly as he kneels next to her injured leg. "Sounds an awful lot like me, i suppose. Now, hold still." He carefully cups the ankle in one hand, gently turning it this way and that to see where it hurts.

Mabel flinches slightly as her ankle ~~twists~~  to the left. "Hnngh. That doesn't feel right."

"Hmm..." He lifts his head and looks around quickly, before winking at Mabel, smiling. "This will be a little secret between us, ok?" He cups the injured ankle between both hands and starts...muttering some odd language under his breath.

A sudden warmth fills the area Ford's hands cover, the pain in Mabel's joints fading to a dull ache. He grins and removes his hands. "I couldn't heal it all the way, but just enough so you can walk without much trouble. Just don't take any hard falls and it should be good as new in 1 to 2 days."

"Wow! You're like a magician!" She flexes her ankle and toes, awed. "Thanks, Grunkle Ford."

"No problem at all. Heh, I've never heard someone call me a magician before. Has a nice, albeit corny, ring to it. But I'm sure I can make it work." He pats her gently on the head before handing her a small box of band-aids. "For the cuts on your skin. They aren't too deep so just rinsing them with water should be fine."

"Oh, thanks." She pulls out a few and slaps them on her arms, slowly standing.

There was a sudden rustling sound, followed by rapidly snapping twigs. Ford darts his head up, leaning over the side of the porch as he glances down to his right, looking at the part of the forest behind his house. "..Is that Dipper?"

"Dipper?" Mabel hurries out after him. Her eyes alight upon a stumbling figure just making his way out of the treeline. He was swaying slightly on his feet as he stumbled toward them, and the closer he got, the more he could make out something that looked like blood stains on his skin.

Mabel gasps at the sight, and hurries down the stairs, running toward him, ignoring Ford's call. "Dipper!"

Dipper slowly glances upward, the light catching on his pupils in an odd way. When she finally gets close enough, he reaches out, placing his hands on her shoulders. "..F..Fix this stupid kid..." He then falls limp, completely unconscious.

She quickly grabs him, glancing back at Ford, who is jogging towards him. "He passed out!" She shakes him lightly. "Dipper? Dipper, come on."

"Mabel, Mabel, calm down; it's likely he has a head injury and shaking him will probably make it worse." Ford gently takes Dipper into his arms, walking back to his house. "It's best if he stays with me until he wakes up. You go back to Stan, ok?"

 "I want to be with him." Mabel follows him, taking the steps two at a time. "And what would I tell Stan? He just waltzed out of the forest and collapsed? He would never let Dipper go into the forest again!"

Ford sighs, then nods. "Fine then. He'll find out what happened regardless, but fine. Follow me." He opens the door and walks inside. Mabel hesitates for the slightest bit before walking inside.

Maybe it was her imagination, but she could've sworn she saw Dipper's eyes as a bright yellow.


	9. The Recovery (and a flight scene)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep those lovely comments rolling!

A cool breeze passes over him, sprinkling fallen pine needles over his face. He shifts, body feeling vaguely battered and bruised. Sitting up, he glances around, finding himself in his... dreamscape, did Bill call it? A soft, red and blue light comes from a sort of crack in the night sky. Gazing at it makes his eyes hurt.

Bill was seen floating in front of the crack, looking it over with a slight grimace. "Geez...Gonna take a while to heal.."

"..Looks pretty," Dipper mumbles, leaning back against a tree. He absently notes that if the sky has to heal, his body does too. Whether or not his "body" was tangible or not was currently up to debate.

"Oh, good. You weren't driven mentally insane from your soul being ripped out of your body. Whew." Bill wipes his upper angle in relief, floating down to his level.

"Yeah, that's good." He sits up a little more. "I still feel a bit... Fuzzy. Like I've been steamrolled."

"Yeah, that'll happen, kid. You knock your skull against your brain and everything is wonky for a few moments." Bill flaps a hand slightly, drifting closer. He pats Dipper gently on the shoulder. "You did good, kiddo."

He blinks for a few moments, and then nods. "Oh, yeah. Sure. I got the ring. Oh, I think I also got some kind of crystal from the caves or something." He pauses for a moment. "Probably could have used that against Gideon."

"You did? Let me see." Bill blinks, landing on the ground.

Dipper pats his pockets, eventually sliding a long pink gem out of his pocket. "They were all over the place. I think they grow on a tree in the caves, though."

Bill takes it and looks it over, humming. "Ah. I believe these things are called Cherry Bombs. Partly because of the color, and partly...because of this." He punctures the surface of the gem with a claw and it violently explodes in his hands. Dipper jumps at the sudden burst of pinkish red, some of the gem splattering his arm and vest. His eyes remain wide for a moment, trying to understand how the gem had splattered. Solids didn't just... abruptly become liquid. But this... Wow.

Bill takes out a handkerchief and was wiping himself off. "Nasty stuff those things are. Be glad it's not real; would've melted the flesh off your bones in an instant."

"Heh. That's nice." He wipes the goo off his face and vest, the material simply fading. He lets out a small breath, feeling a sort of construction at the action. He leans his head back, closing his eyes and pushing a hand through his hair. "This all..." He hesitates, the words formulating slowly on his tongue. "This all feels weird. In the woods, I was in my body, then you came, and then I wasn't. But I could still think and move. And then I was back in my body, but I couldn't move, and now I'm here, but I can still feel things physically. I don't really remember this feeling from before. It... doesn't entirely make sense. If I'm in a dream, shouldn't I feel nothing? And I feel like I should sleep, but I am sleeping." He trails off, his brows furrowing.

"That's the effects of you entering the Mindscape is all. Your soul essentially left your body and was yanked into the dimension on your left." The entity shrugs, settling down next to him.

"So... Souls are a thing?" Dipper shifts, cataloging the information.

"Yup. Yours is about the size of an apple right now. Glowing pretty damn brightly too." His eye shines blue, staring at his chest.

"Souls glow?" He tilts his head, uncertain of the look in Bill's eye.

"Yup. They're like small glowing spheres, white in the center, and only have color around the rim. Yours is blue." He grins, chuckling.

Dipper allows a small chuckle in return. "Is that good? Or do you just like it?"

"I think it's funny. Your hat is blue, your vest is blue, and your soul is blue too. It's just funny." He grins again, waving his hand to produce a margarita, which he sips at.

"I like the color blue." He fiddles with his other pockets, taking out the ring and looking it over.

"I've noticed." Bill smirks, then leans closer to look over the ring. "Geez, that could sell a few bucks for sure. Too bad it hypnotizes people."

"Yeah. I wonder what happens when you put it on yourself." He traces the edges of the ring, watching as the glossy metal and gem reflect their surroundings.

"I wouldn't try it; you would probably stick yourself in a self-hypnotized loop." Bill hums, eye flicking from the gem to Dipper.

"That makes sense." He stares at the ring for a moment longer before stuffing it back into his pocket and trying to stand.

"Whoa, whoa, careful. Easy there." Bill immediately zips into the air, hands on his shoulders to steady the boy.

Dipper sways slightly as spots form in his vision, arms immediately going out to steady himself on the tree and Bill. "Hnn. That doesn't feel good."

"Yeah, brain injuries are a bitch to handle. Just take things slow, and you'll be fine." Bill grins softly, petting his hair with a hand.

He grumbles slightly. "I don't want to just sit around doing nothing."

The deity can't help but chuckle, thoroughly amused by the childish pouting. He hums for a few moments, then grins. "Want to go flying then?"

"Flying would be better than walking?" He blinks at Bill, tilting his head.

"It is when your soul isn't in your body!" Bill grins, winking as he rises into the air and holds out his hand.

Dipper hesitates for a moment (Could he really fly? Would that be too much for his body? For his mind?) but then takes Bill's hand, deciding that this was all in his head, so why not go along with it?

Bill grins, and with a yank, everything goes blurry again. It lasted a few short moments, and suddenly, the kid was back in the Mindscape again. Just as eerie, silent, and mind-numbing it had been before. He shudders, fingers tensing around Bill's hand. The lack of senses throws him off balance, but simultaneously grounds him; whatever pain or discomfort he felt before was dampened even further. "Egh. Feels weird."

"Heh. Yeah, you get used to it after a while." Bill laughs a bit, floating around the boy in circles, smug as the cat that got the cream.

Dipper watches him, shifting slightly in midair. "You look... Very excited."

"Well, I haven't really ever had anyone in here at all! Completely isolated for a trillion years with only a few human souls to ever attempt communication with!" He says this all with a vibrant grin.

He chuckles, mostly in disbelief. "You don't share this with many people? Even the people that know you exist?"

"Nope! They mostly just see me as either a religious symbol, a sign if secret government societies, or this weird meme involving skills at video games. It's all weird and stupid and I don't like dealing with it." He huffs, waving a hand.

"Wow, I... Heh. Thanks." He floats a little closer to Bill, feeling somewhat flattered. He was here when other people could have been. Bill chose to let him come here.

"No need to thank me, kid. Now, where do you want to go? We have all of the Earth to explore. Well, if you like the Earth in monochrome, featureless hues." Bill shrugs sheepishly, taking Dipper's hand.

His arm twitches as he glances around, thinking. "Erm.... Anywhere on Earth?" He worries his lip, the range of places overwhelming him somewhat.

"Anywhere. Or do you want me to pick a spot?" The deity raises a brow patiently.

"Um, well. The first place I thought of was Everest. Kinda cliche, but-"

"Heheh. Alrighty, Everest it is." With that, both of them go shooting up into the air, higher and higher, up until they were literally floating above the Earth itself. Everything was glowing in white or grey hues, muddling and kind of headache-inducing.

Dipper's eyes widen at the sight of the grand structure. He forces the headache aside, absorbing the information in front of him. He blinks several times. "That's... Did we... How exactly...?"

"Mindscape, kid. You're not in your body anymore; we're in a parallel dimension. The astral plane to be specific." Bill chuckles, ruffling his hair.

He ducks slightly on impulse, smiling nervously. "Right. I, uh, guess that's kinda obvious. It's just... Heh. Guess it's just gonna take time to get used to this. Definitely rewriting a few things." He looks aside, trailing off.

"Heh. Pine Tree, you can write whatever you want about this place. Even about me." He winks, holding out his hand again.

Dipper doesn't quite notice, staring down at the planet. "It's more of rewriting what I previous thought to be true. I... dunno about writing things down just yet. I want to, I just want to be accurate. And I don't quite understand everything I want to understand..." He again trails off, noticing Bill's hand and taking it. "Sorry. Probably the concussion."

"Heheh. It's ok, I don't blame you; I love tactical minds at work." He grins and winks again.

He laughs once, still a little uncertain about, well, everything. He doesn't necessarily want to tell Bill about how he was raised - partly because he is assuming the All Seeing Eye already knows, mostly because he a rather private individual - but between all the information being thrown at him and the concussion, he feels weirdly compelled to... talk more openly with Bill. He couldn't quite describe the feeling.

"So, come on, kiddo. On to Everest." He pulls the boy along, sailing across the clouds and over grey and black seas. He catches glimpses of rivers, smaller than his hand from this perspective, and distantly sees sheets of rain pour heavily into the ocean along the horizon. Almost inches away from him, for just a moment, he makes eye contact with a breaching whale.

Bill was zipping around and doing quadruple loops in the air with a finesse that was uncanny for a triangle. He pats another whale on the snout, only to sputter as he gets blasted with water when it shoots out of the blowhole. "AUGH!! Stupid floating sacks of fat!"

Dipper chuckles. "I guess whales don't like being touched by dream beings."

"I'd say so. Blegh." He wipes furiously at his eye, grumbling.

Dipper floats to him, looking rather unsteady, not nearly as graceful as Bill was. "Can you get hurt in this realm?"

"Heh. No, not if I don't want to be. I'm pure energy in this form after all." He looks smug, folding his arms.

"That's good to know." He pauses, glancing at the whales. "Can I get hurt at all?"

"Nope! Everything will just go right through you. Even yourself." He then pokes Dipper in the stomach. "Only I can actually touch you."

He stumbles back a step, chuckling lightly. "Okay. I'll try and remember that."

"Good." Bill grabs Dippers hand and yanks them upward just as they start flying over Spain, cities and towns twinkling with many lights. Dipper goes silent, marveling at the Roman and baroque architecture , the still aquaducts, the brilliant white beaches. He hadn't quite realized how much he had wanted to visit other places before.

"Heheh. You look as wide-eyed as a glass doll right now. I guess you're the exploring type, eh?" Bill watches in slight amusement.

He flushes ever so slightly. "Ah, yeah. I like learning new things. Finding new things. Being in new places. Helps that I'm a huge history buff when it comes to certain things."

Bill grins, patting his shoulder. "Oh, Pine Tree, you are definitely going to grow up to be a great explorer. I've seen it, not just in this world, but in thousands." His body starts to flash with rapid images as they suddenly come to a standstill.

He sees himself looking out over a canyon, a camera in hand; he takes notes on a certain tree for no discernible reason; he sits in front of a wall graffitied in mystic runes; his breath puffs out in a mist, darkened goggles covering his distinctly older face; he jumps across a short gap between two neighboring ledges; he even slams on the gas as he's chased by several government cars.

Bill laughs, grinning as he looks down at the images. "Ooh, that last one is my favorite! Trying to stop a secret British agency from getting ahold of ancient alchemical equations! Hahah!"

"No way." His eyes widen further. "No version of me could possibly do something like that."

"Oh, believe me, kiddo. It's true. You kick their asses all the way to Blortch and back."

"What's Blortch?" He furrows his brow, looking quite confused.

"Oh, it's a planet about 10,000 light years away. Inhabited by flesh-eating humanoid rats." Bill flaps a hand nonchalantly.

The boy stares, shocked. "Oh. Um. Wow."

Bill just laughs, tugging the boy along again. "Hey, don't focus on that, kid! Focus on the fact that you grow up to be that legendary hero!"

"Heheh. Yeah. That is pretty neat." He smiles almost dreamily.

"Just imagine what you could do if you had me with you." They zip up past Spain, now traveling over France, specifically Paris.

"We just passed the Eiffel Tower." Dipper stares back at the monument, then sputters as a flag phases through him. "Whoa. Okay. That felt weird. Ah. Flags."

Bill, who had frowned for a few seconds, can't help but stifle a chuckle, patting the boy on the back. "Yeah, you get used to the feeling at some point."

"How?" Dipper shudders, looking skeptical.

"Simple; it tickles." Bill winks, before they soar up into the sky again. Over Britain they sail next, not so close to the city grounds this time. Elegant castles spear into the sky below them, vigilantly warning them to keep their distance. Between each fortress lay miles of open fields and spotted towns and highways. At one point it seemed that all the land gave way to lush, gladed forests.

Bill grins, glancing at Dipper. "So, what do you think of good ol' Britan?"

Dipper looks up at him. "It seems rather nice. Definitely has a sort of... feel to it. Like Gravity Falls, almost. But... not."

"Yeah, there have been a lot of supernatural instances around this chunk of the Earth. Not as much as Gravity Falls, but still enough to make it noticeable. It probably has something to do with all of the religious diversity congregating around this specific continent."

"Does religion draw the supernatural?" He raises his eyebrows slightly at the thought.

"Yup. Mostly because its borderline racist and filled with nothing but inconsistencies on any kind of supernatural entity. Seriously, calling ME the Eye of some dumb fake deity that doesn't even exist." As they pass by the Vatican, Bill gives it both middle-fingers. "Fucking morons!"

Dipper almost winces at the commentary. "Ah. Right. Yeah. You have a few points."

"Ok, lets get out of this dump and head to Everest." He pulls Dipper up into the sky again, the air getting distinctly colder.

"How can it get colder if we aren't physical?" He shudders slightly, rubbing his arms.

"It's cause we're closer to that." He points upwards toward that blackening void. When the boy tilts his head up to stare, that loud ringing in his ears come back, and his eyes sting with pain. He reflexively brings his hands to his eyes, as if he could force back the forming tears by physical will. A throbbing courses through his skull, seeming to originate from the front and back of his head.

Bill's eye widens, and he forces Dipper's head back down, hands erupting in that blue flames, clasping them over his temples. "Easy, easy there, kid. Deep breaths, and focus on my voice. Deep breaths."

Dipper had barely noticed his held breath. He exhales, inhales, and repeats several times. Like with Mabel. Mabel always helped him when he hyperventilated. His throat suddenly clenches, his muscles rippling as a coarse cough shakes him. He dutifully buries his face in his arms, fingers twitching at the odd twinges of pain.

Bill cringes, petting Dipper's hair away from his forehead, hoping to comfort the boy. "Sorry, Pine Tree. I forgot to warn you; there aren't just human minds in this place. There are big minds, too big to comprehend or look at, ones that have began when time started of even before time. And those minds...they go up there." He nods up at the void, seeming to not be affected.

"Hh... H-hurts." He rubs his eyes, taking halting breaths. He is honestly having difficulty concentrating on what Bill says, but he thinks he understands. Another cough wracks through his body.

Bill frowns more, then quickly tugs Dipper down towards the snowy ground, glaring up at the void menacingly. He then pets over Dipper's hair again, expression shifting to concern. "Shh..Don't listen to them, kid. Don't listen to the voices, ok?"

His body shakes. That was what this was? Someone was trying to talk to him? He didn't... He didn't want to talk to anyone. He kinda wants to wake up actually. His head throbs harshly, nearly forcing tears from his eyes. No. No, he was not going to- "TRUST...." No, Dipper scrambled to think. No, I don't want to trust you. Pain curdled in his stomach. "...None." A sudden pressure he hadn't quite noticed removes itself from his body. He takes a shaky breath, vaguely hearing Bill's voice.

"Kid? Kid?!" Bill was cascading those blue flames up and down his temples, and the pain seemed to be slowly burning away piece by piece. "Can you hear me? Speak up, Pine Tree!"

He shakily grabs Bill's wrist. "Y-yeah. I hear you. Sorry, I... I don't know what just happened."

Bill stops, and sighs, taking the boy's hand in his own, his thumb rubbing over the back of Dipper's hand. "Sorry, Pine Tree...We should get you back to your body." He scoops the shaking boy in his arms, the stone bricks making up his front rather warm, almost hot. Yet they send heated waves of comfort up Dipper's body, soothing the pain and the fear that was making his bones quake. He forces his body to relax, feeling somewhat useless being held like this. Guh. He just wanted to see Everest.

"...It's ok, kiddo. They can't get you from here; I won't let them." Bill rubs at his back softly with a hand as he flies back over the Earth.

"I'm good," he mumbles. "You don't have to worry about me." Bill pays him no heed however as he enters the greyed-out version of some house; in fact, he smiles slightly.

"Heh. I'm gonna; you're my prodigy, kiddo." Something starts to shift in the air as Dipper slowly sinks back into his body. There was no dream forest waiting for him. He was waking up again, albeit slowly. The bone deep aches provided by Gideon's willful abuse seeps back into body, as well as a sharp pain stabbing into the back of his head. He cringes, slowly opening his eyes.

All he heard when he opened his eyes was yelling, muffled by the floorboards. Mabel was huddled in Sweater Town on her side of the room, rocking back and forth.

"...Mabel?" His voice comes out hoarse, as if he hasn't talked for quite some time. "What's go-" He clears his throat. "What's going on?"

She yelps, jolting at the suddenness of Dipper's voice, her head poking up out of the confines of her sweater. The room they were in was not Stan's room by any means; there were dreamcatchers hanging from the ceiling, intricately made, of all kinds of colors, each one encrusted with some kind of gemstone. A large triangular window casted a beam of dim sunlight through it, lighting the room up in almost red shades. Scented candles wafted from a nearby desk littered with papers, and Dipper could faintly pick up on the scent of cinnamon.

Mabel quickly rushes over to Dipper's bed, clasping one of his hands in both of her own. She leans over him, looking worried. "Dipper? Oh thank God! Are you ok? Do you need water? How many fingers am I holding up?" She then sticks up 4 fingers.

"Um... Four, I think? And water would be nice." He shifts, sitting up slowly.

"Hey, hey, easy there! You kinda hit your head pretty hard out there." She gently tries to push him back down, then zips out the door. The yelling almost immediately stops. He lets himself lay back for a moment, then tries to sit up again. His head throbs momentarily.

A minute later, Ford and Mabel enter the room, the former smiling with relief, carrying a box in one hand. Mabel walked over, handing him the cold glass of water. "Here you go, bro-bro."

"Thanks." He gratefully takes the glass, swallowing a generous amount of water.

"Hang on, don't drink all of it yet. You should take some pills that'll help with the headache." Ford sits down on the end of the bed, opening the box and starts to scoop out two pills.

Mabel tilts her head slightly, and her brow furrows. "Why are you giving him pills? Can't you just heal him?"

Ford blinks, then chuckles softly before ruffling Mabel's hair. "Heheh. My magic can't cure everything. Wish it would though." He turns and hands Dipper the pills.

Dipper swallows the pills, grateful for the coolness of the water. "How, um, how long was I out?"

"About 3 hours, give or take. We all were really worried. Is your vision ok? Are you dizzy?" Ford looks quite concerned.

"My vision's good. I get a bit woozy when I move too fast, but that's about it." He takes another sip of his water, cautiously touching the back of his head. Yeah. There was definitely a Dipper-shaped indent on a tree out there.

"Well, you aren't going to leave this house until you recover. How did you get a concussion at all? I thought you were hunting gnomes." Ford raises his brow.

"Ah. Yeah. I was kinda looking for gnomes. And I did find them, but, uh..." He shifts, uncertain of how to explain the circumstances without sounding entirely insane. His eyes drop away from Ford's face and to his glass. "Gideon found them too."

Mabel blinks. "The same Gideon that smashed all of those basilisk eggs?"

Ford grits his teeth, expression darkening. "And he did this to you?"

Dipper shifts again, not meeting their eyes. "Yeah. But it's fine. I can handle it. Don't worry."

Mabel cracks her knuckles. "Bro-Bro, do I need to get the bat? I brought it with me in my suitcase."

"No! No bat. Everything's fine. He's just some pretentious kids who thinks he can do whatever he wants. I can handle it." His eyes widen, arms reaching out toward her in a placating fashion.

Mabel stares at him, then sighs and nods, crossing her arms. "Fine."  
  
Ford looks confused. "Umm...Why did you bring a bat?"

"In case people try beating up my bro!" She huffs slightly, trilling her fingers. "Happens all the time back in Piedmont."

"I would have just said that school sucks, but yeah, I guess that works too." Dipper slips her a slightly irritated look. She just sticks her tongue out.

Ford now looks alarmed. "I-I beg your pardon? Kids regularly hurt you back home?"

"No, it's..." Dipper sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Bullies at school, mostly. And it's usually just verbal, but, well, we live in a more urban place than this. And we recently moved a few blocks, because we weren't in the best neighborhood and for our parents work. It's nothing too important. Mabel just thinks she can solve everything if she waves glitter and metal at it."

"That's not true! The bat isn't metal! It's just wooden with a few bedazzle gems on it. You wouldn't believe it, but those things hurt when you get hit with them." She nods at her own words, looking almost smug. Dipper looks at Ford, his expression saying, "See what I have to deal with?"

Ford looked extremely puzzled and kind of concerned. "Well...I don't think you'll need a..."bedazzled" bat here, Mabel. I can handle Gideon just fine."

Dipper exhales. "No offense, Grunkle Ford, but you dealing with Gideon will only make things worse."

"Why is that?" He looks affronted, crossing his arms.

"Because all he wants is to prove that he's better than me, and he has no other way to do that other than physically brutalizing me. And he's incredibly egotistical, so he won't let anyone stop him from doing... whatever... he's doing. Bad grammar, sorry. So if you do try and stop him in any way, he'll just fight harder to prove his point." He frowns, rubbing his face. "I've met people like him before."

"...But you can't go against him alone. You've already been beaten twice by Gideon; how do you plan on getting out of this?" Ford stares, incredulous.

"I... Uh... I'm working on that." Dipper looks away, sighing.

Mabel blinks, then frowns. "Really? That's all you have?"

"Most of it depends on how he acts. And it's kinda time sensitive. And there's stuff I cant quite explain because I'm still trying to comprehend what happened. Concussions help too." He gives her a deadpan look.

"..Oh, yeah. I forgot for a second." She looks sheepish.

"It's alright." He closes his eyes momentarily. "I'm tired."

"Do you want to go back to sleep?" Ford picks up the empty glass of water.

He hums. "What time is it?"

"Around 11 PM." Mabel shifts, looking down.

"I should probably eat first. I don't think I had lunch."

"I think you were gone for the whole day, so that would be optimal. I'll go get you something." Ford briskly walks out.

Dipper nods, letting his eyes close again. Mabel sighs, and sits down at his bed, taking one of his hands. "...I'm going with you."

"Hm?" He cracks an eye open. "What do you mean? Going where?"

"Going with you when you see Gideon again. You saw him twice in the span of 2 days. Either that's a total coincidence or something is happening and it involves you both. And I'm going." She's staring at him intensely, frowning.

He fidgets, fingers fiddling with the edge of his blanket. "I... don't think that's a good idea, Mabel. Gideon... he's not safe to be around."

"I don't care. I'm not going to let my brother be tossed around like a ragdoll an constantly get hurt!" She huffs angrily.

"And I don't want you to get hurt either! Maybe... Maybe there's a way to talk him down, sign a treaty, and then you can-"

"He pushed you off a cliff and bashed you so hard in the head, your brain hit your skull. Talking is done with, Dipper. You hear me? DONE." She glares, looming closer, hands on her hips.

He raises his hands weakly. "O-Okay. We'll just... have to find a way around... telekinesis."

"..Hmm...Maybe you can ask Ford about counteracting Gideon's magic." Mabel relaxes, pulling away.

"Yeah." He hesitates, frowning. "It's weird, being able to talk to a grown up about magic and the supernatural. And the whole town? They know too? It's... disorienting."

"Well, it could be weirder; like, the town not knowing at all? Or Ford not knowing at all, and it's only us?" She grins a bit.

"Heh. Yeah. I guess that would be weird. Especially with so much activity around here." His eyes look aside and wander with his mind for the moment.

"...You have to wonder though, as to why it's never caught any attention. I'm sure everything would get noticed by SOMEONE." Mabel hums, brow furrowing.

"Yeah.... Maybe it's like UFOs and yetis, though. People think it's their eyes playing tricks on them, or they don't want to face the facts." Dipper shrugs, yawning slightly.

She scoffs, smiling. "Kind of hard to say that if it snatches you out of the air." She playfully elbows him.

He chuckles, heat rising in his face. "Yeah. That definitely helps the memory."

She laughs slightly, rubbing at her eyes. "..Augh...I think it's time I head to bed. Ford's letting me sleep on that big chair downstairs. Have you seen it? It's like a big marshmellow if it was made out of cow skin." She giggles slightly, looking rather tired.

He chuckles at the comparison. "Yeah. I saw it when I was asking for the Journal. You should probably sleep, though. I'll be here in the morning."

"Yeah, you're right. G'night, Dippin-Dots." She carefully hugs him before walking out of the room.

He lets her walk out without saying anything else, deciding instead to peruse the variety of dream catchers above him. There was amethyst, sapphire, topaz, aquamarine, emerald diamond...And all of them were so pretty. Did Ford make them by hand?

The door opens, the smell of buttered grilled cheese wafting into the room.  
Ford carries the plate inside, setting it next to him on the bed-side table. It was a bit burnt on the edges, but other then that. It looked perfect. And somehow cooked within half a minute.

"Thanks, Grunkle Ford." Dipper offers him a grin, and then sits upright, patting at his pockets. "Ah. I found something in the gnome mines. Well, Gideon found it, and he lost it, and I found it or something. Ah, here." He produces the gnomish ring.

Ford blinks, then stares at the ring as he takes it from the boy's hand. "My God, I've been trying to get this from the gnome colonies for ages! How did you find this? No, how did you know it was there?"

"I, uh... Had some help." He didn't think 'Hey, I've been seeing and hearing one eyed triangles everywhere and we flew over Paris together!' would go over very smoothly with Ford.

"...Ah, I think i get it! You must've read the entry about it in my Journal and went snooping! Quite brave of you, Dipper!" He carefully, but still proudly, ruffles his hair.

"Heheh. Yeah." He ducks slightly, relaxing a bit. "They're a lot more ravenous than I imagined. And they have bows. Can't really aim well, though."

"Yeah, I learned my lesson the first time I met those guys. But believe it or not, their cousins, Redcaps, are even worse. Why? Well, let me put it this way; Gnomes are vegans." He winces, shuddering.

Dipper shudders. "The implications of that are... worrisome."

"Yup." He then straightens up, smiling. "Well, I better leave you to eat. It's best to get some rest afterword. Ok? You have a lot of healing to do."

Dipper nods gently. "Yeah. That sounds good. Thanks."

"Goodnight, Dipper." He smiles gently before exiting the room.

"Goodnight." He picks up the plate of grilled cheese, examining the sandwich.

Just above his head, on the wall, sat a single triangular shadow, watching him silently, as if guarding him.

 

 


	10. The Ghost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep them comments rolling! Hit me with comments! Make those comments punch me in the face!

Mabel was darting to and fro in the kitchen area of Ford's house, packing up any sort of pill bottle or edible object she can see. It had been a few weeks, and Dipper finally managed to recover, ready to go confront Gideon again. She was struggling to close her backpack, the girl obviously having gone overboard with supplies. "Dipper! Come down here and help me!"

"Just a moment!" His voice travels down the stairs, excitement evident in his voice. A thump, followed by mumbles and a quick, "I'm okay!" come shortly after. Soon after, the boy bounds down the stairs and into the room. "That looks like a lot of stuff, Mabes."

"Hey, we're going up against a telekinetic fat kid, you can never be too prepared!" She grunts as she tries to zip the pack shut, only for the contents to practically explode out of the rim. She growls, bending down to pick up an assortment of bottles and...what looks like a fanged loaf of bread in a pickle jar.

He raises a brow. "I don't think we need much. Especially... whatever that is." Another jar rolls to his feet and he picks it up. "A jar of candy. Did you find anything iron? Or silver? I found a mirror and an old fashioned flashlight."

"How is a flashlight gonna help us? Or a mirror?" She looks skeptical as she grabs the jar out of his hands, stuffing it back in.

"There's a section in Grunkle Ford's journals that detailed some weakness, like iron and silver mirrors..." He shakes his head as he watches her repack her case. "All of that is not fitting in there."

"Not with that-Urgh!-attitude!" She grunts and huffs as she tries to shove all of the equipment back inside, gritting her teeth hard.

"I doubt we'll need all that food; we're going to the richest place in town. Though the first aid kits are a pretty good idea."

"What?" Mabel blinks, all of her frustration melting away into utter confusion. She turns around, brow raised. "..When did you say you were going to the Northwest Manor? All you said last night was that we were heading out to take on Gideon; I assumed that meant the forest."

"Um. Well... Yeah. Apparently something's come up and there was a slight change in plans."

"...Ok, so, we're going up to a mansion of rich people...Why?" She looks dumbfounded.

"They have some kind of ghost problem." He kneels and picks up the last few items she dropped. "Things have been floating all over the place. I think Ford would usually take care of it, but he's been busy with something. I'm not entirely sure what."

"...Hmm...And they asked you to do it? Why would Gideon be there?" She takes the items and slowly starts putting them back.

"Well... Not exactly. I'll explain on the way." He runs a hand through his hair, eyes wandering.

"..Ok?" She stares at him before turning back to the bag.

Dipper shifts, glancing around for Ford. "It has to deal with... you know, the triangle guy. From my dreams."

"Oh, yeah, that guy. What was up with that anyway?" She glances at him curiously.

"I... I dunno. That's kinda what I want to talk about on the way to the Northwest's." He shifts slightly, looking nervous.

"So...It told you to go see the Northwests?" Mabel turns to stare at him.

"Yeah, that's the simple way of putting it." He nods.

Mabel hums slightly before turning and finally closing the bag. "Ok. That makes sense. Though, that must mean Gideon is following its orders too."

"Yeah. I was thinking that too." He nods toward the door and they walk out.

Soon, after trucking through the town and being warmly greeted by the town, they reach the manor. Mabel stares up at it in awe, idly munching on a bag of sugary pretzel sticks; Lazy Susan gave them snacks to eat for breakfast as they passed the Diner. "Wow...How are they that rich?"

"Apparently Mr. Northwest has a lot of trade deals all over the country. And outside of it. I'm not entirely certain about what those deals are, though Bill sounded like it wasn't entirely honest."

Dipper walks up to a sort of speaker built into the stone columns of the gate and presses a button. A loud buzz sounds, followed by the whirring of mechanics as a camera turns to focus on him. He offers an uncertain grin.

"Um, hey. I'm here to help with you're, uh, house problems. Im Dipper Pines."

There was a moment of silence before the camera shut off and the door opened. Behind it was a blonde girl dressed in rather bright clothes, arms folded. "So, you were called here too? Great. We could've gotten Stanford to handle this but noooo, we had to get the brat and a newbie." She rolls her eyes.

Dipper exhales, frowning slightly. "You must be Pacifica. And if you need to know, Ford is busy with much more important work than a rich family incapable of dealing with a ghost."

Pacifica narrows her eyes at him before huffing and spinning around to walk toward the actual manor. "Whatever. As long as you can get that bratty asshole to stop screaming at me then I'm fine with it."

Dipper follows, exhaling. "My sister is also here. Maybe you saw her when you let us in?"

"And? Why should I care?" She raises a brow.

"Just thought it would be nice to recognize a fellow human being." He raises a brow in return.

"Sure, whatever." She blatantly rolls her eyes and keeps on walking. Mabel was smiling, but in a way that screamed 'I'm two seconds away from punching her.'

Dipper discreetly waves at her behind his back. "So what exactly have you noticed in the house?"

"Mostly plates, silverware, and other things floating or zipping across the room."

"Ah. Doesn't sound all too serious." He rubs his chin, expression saying he didn't think that was necessarily true.

"Well, we still can't have it wandering around the mansion. So we need someone to get rid of it before my dad blows a gasket." Pacifica rubs her temples slightly, sighing.

"Yeah, I can see ghosts being a bit annoying." They arrive at the front doors, which are immediately opened by a butler. Pacifica barely reacts to his presence, but the twins say a quiet "Thank you" as they pass him.

A rather wealthy looking man approaches the three, smiling in a charismatic fashion. "Hello there, you must be the niece and nephew of the beloved Stanford Pines. Welcome, welcome."

"Yeah. Um, is there anything major we should know before we begin? Places where you've noticed more activity, or times of the day when it's active?" Dipper fidgets with his hands, glancing around slightly.

"It's only been happening in one room, and since it began yesterday, we haven't noticed anything. Pacifica, show him the room." Preston nods at her before turning and walking off.

Dipper sighs quietly, a slight headache starting in the back of his head. He needs more information than just floating dishes and a single room, but lets the man walk off. Typical of the privileged to dump problems on the lower class.   
Pacifica just sighs a bit and gestures for them to follow. She leads them down hall after hall, looking relatively more irritated as distant angry screams are heard.

The headache suddenly doubles and Dipper pinches the bridge of his nose. "Does he always have to be so noisy?"

"..Yes, yes he does...He's always stomping around and ordering people like he's king of the fucking world. Arrogant bastard." She grumbles, massaging her temples. Mabel slowly reaches toward the bat, which was strapped to her back.

As if he has a sixth sense, he leans back and slaps her wrist. "Let's just hope he doesn't do anything rash this time." The back of his skull throbs with phantom pains.

"This time? You mean you dealt with him before?" Pacifica blinks, looking a bit surprised.

"Erm." Dipper glances to the side, momentarily uncertain of how much to tell her. He hadn't expected her to ask him anything. "We've met twice. He doesn't like me."

"Pfft. He doesn't like anyone, not even Mr. Stanford." She rolls her eyes and keeps walking, seeming to be done with the conversation.

Soon, they reach the main room, and she opens the door. Gideon was pacing back and forth across the room, muttering curses to himself as he held a banged-up looking compass that was spinning erratically. His face was tinged red with anger, and the moment the door creaks, he spins around, locking eyes with Dipper. He glares intensely at him, saying nothing. Mabel immediately moves in front of her brother, glaring back just as hard, teeth gritted in a sneer. Gideon blinks, seeming surprised, before pointing an accusatory finger at her."...The hell is she doing here?!"

Dipper exhales, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Mabel, Gideon. Gideon, Mabel. Seeing as our last encounter left me with a concussion that nearly immobilized me in the middle of the forest, she wanted to make sure nothing like that happened again." He narrows his eyes on the compass. "You brought a compass. To find a ghost."

Gideon growls, snapping the compass shut with a sharp click. "First off, idiot, it's an enchanted compass meant to locate spirits. And, like an idiot would, you knew you were sent to catch a ghost, yet you brought jack shit to locate and or subdue it."

He then turns around, looking over the area critically as he surveys the closed compass tremble and wobble in his hand. "Second, the Eye never stated you could bring outside help. You're cheating; even if you find the damned thing, you won't win. It'll be a tie until the third trial decides it all."

He stares at the boy for a moment. "I'm... honestly fine with that. This isn't all about winning. It's about helping the townspeople." Dipper walks further into the room, briefly feeling over his pockets for the silver mirrors and iron flashlight. A chill seems to pass down his spine, and he rubs his exposed arms, eyes dancing between taxidermied animal parts and intricate oil paintings. Everything in the room is either antique or expensive, and all of it is well-maintained. He couldn't shake the feeling of eyes on his back, though. "There's definitely something in here."

Gideon shivers, feeling the same chill, digging into his suit and pulling out a glass sphere that's filled with what looks like water. He flipped open the compass, which was spinning so hard he couldn't see the needle. He pales slightly, eyes darting around as he raises the sphere defensively. "Dammit...Where are you?"

All of a sudden, the windows and door slams shut, the lights going out. Everybody yelps and Mabel curses so hard it would make a sailor blush, the gem-covered bat cracking against the ground hard as she whips it out defensively, looking around blindly. "What happened? Where is it?!"

"Everyone, calm down. It's just trying to mess with us-" A dozen pairs of eyes suddenly glow a blank white, illuminating portions of the wall. Something viscous and wet drips onto Dipper's shoes, enticing him to look up. A dark, off-black liquid seems to bubble out of the taxidermied animals, streams of the stuff pouring from the ceiling. The irrational side of him yells at him to run; the other side reminds him of the capabilities of a category ten, and the impossibility of removing it from residency.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" Gideon scrambles, backing away quickly from the ghoulish fluid now pouring from the animal heads in waves, dripping out if their vacant eye sockets and out-stretched mouths. Mabel was shaking, her and Pacifica back to back and looking extremely freaked out.

"Gideon, we need to get everyone out of this building. Category tens have no sense of morality-" "ANCIENT SINS, ANCIENT SINS, ANCIENT SINS!" The nearby bookcase shudders, books flinging violently from the shelves. Dipper barely managed to hit the floor before he could get decked. His hands meet with a sticky substance that seems to writhe with boiling turmoil.

The loud boom of utterly demonic voices rattles Gideon's skull, and he claps his hands to his ears in pain, before suddenly getting hit by a book and falling to the ground, dropping the sphere of water which shatters on the floor. The compass, next to his head, was spinning faster and faster, until it suddenly exploded into shards, the boy wincing as small slivers of metal sink into his skin. He looks up, frozen in horror as a skeleton, wreathed in horrific blue flames slowly starts to rise up from the pile of tar-like liquid pooling from the floor, an axe embedded into its skull. The ghastly light illuminated the room dimly, casting shadows that made it look like this spirit was clawing its way out of the depths of hell.

Mabel, immediately upon seeing this ghost, screams and charges with the bat. "YOU LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!" She swings with all her might, only for the skeleton to swing a hand around and knock it out of her grasp, sending it flying. She gasps as she's suddenly grabbed, it's hand big enough to wrap around her torso, starting to scream in pain as she feels its grip tighten harshly.

As if a shock of lightning was shot through him, Dipper pushes himself to his feet and rushes the ghost, pulling the flashlight out of his vest pocket and swinging at the manifestation. He manages to catch it in the ribs. The ghost howls, reflexively dropping Mabel and stumbling back, a charred imprint the shape of the flashlight glowing on its side. It locked it's eyes with Dipper's, a cold vengeance flickering into existence. It rises to it's full height, towering above them, mouth opening wide- In a moment of pure panic, Dipper throws the flashlight, hitting it squarely in the jaw. "Everyone get out! Find more open space! Find something iron!"

Pacifica, who had darted over to the door as soon as she could see it, manages to fling it open, causing light to flood the room. Gideon, upon seeing this, scrambles to his feet and runs outside, almost shoving Pacifica to the ground, who stares in astonishment that quickly turns to anger. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

She turns around, teeth gritted as she waves her arms sporadically. She knew there was a place full of iron; she just had to lead the ghost there."Hey, ugly! Over here! It's me you want!"

The ghost raises its head, an angry welt growing across it's face. Its eyes lock on Pacifica, a snarl ripping from it's throat. What could have passed for hair suddenly burns a brilliant blue. "NORTHWEST."

"Yeah, that's right! Come and get me!" Her eyes dart to Dipper and Mabel, nods once, and sprints down the hallway as fast as she can.

Dipper curses as the ghost fixates on her and phases out of the room. He quickly runs to grab his flashlight, helping Mabel to her feet along the way. "You brought the walkie talkies right?" She nods, immediately tearing through her bag and tossing him one. He quickly turns it on and clips it to his belt. "There's gonna be a lot of static. Follow Pacifica and try and lead it to the kitchen. I'm gonna try something really stupid and we need to hurry."

"Right." She snatches her bat and runs out of the room, grabbing any sort of iron object she can find as she does so. A massive storm was swirling around outside despite it having been crystal clear a few minutes ago.

Dipper catches a glimpse of the storm before hurrying out of the room and back where he had come. He needs to find the kitchen. Where the hell is the kitchen? God dammit this place is too massive. Maybe he could find Mr. Northwest. Or that butler guy. There was the occasional loud crash that seemed to echo around the halls, or the enraged scream of an infuriated tormented soul. Every painting or picture depicting the Northwest family had been lit on fire and burned to splinters.

He passes a pair of elevators and turns. A butler! Not the same butler, but a butler all the same. A butler that probably shouldn't have been using an elevator while the mansion was under attack by a rampant ghost. "Where's the kitchen?"

The butler, shaking and pale while holding a knife, points down to the left. "Th-That way."

"Thank you." He hurries down the hall, worriedly glancing in the direction of the ruckus as he runs.

The walkie-talkie crackles to life, Mabel's voice barely being heard over both static and the large crashing noises. "Hey, Dip-stick? You there?"

Dipper unclips his device as he skids to a stop in front of kitchen doors. "I'm here. Just got to the kitchen. First floor, center of the mansion. Ish. How far are you?" He grabs a large bowl, filling it with water out of a nearby sink.

"I'm basically-Shit!" There was a loud crash and the sound of the ghost howling. "I'm right next to the action, Dips! And I'm about to do something even stupider then you!"

"What are you going to-" He takes a deep breath, knowing he can't stop her. "Just get Pacifica to lead you and the ghost to the first floor, okay?"

"On it! C'MERE YOU FLAMING BEARDED BASTARD!" The walkie-talkie fizzles out, and he's met with silence and distant thunder claps.

He takes one more deep breath before clipping the walkie talkie to his hip and scrounging the room for any kind of salt. A quick look through three cabinets, a spice rack, and less than a quarter of the pantry supplies him with Himalayan, ionized, and kosher salts. Without much thought, he pours each into the bowl of water, grabs a whisk, and quickly stirs the solution into saturation. The feeling of doing basically nothing while his sister wrangles a ghost eats away at him. If anything happened to her.... He shakes the thought aside, grabbing several trashed water bottles and a funnel. His hands shook as he poured the liquid into the bottles. One last thing to do. He pats his pockets and pulls a pen out.

All of a sudden, a loud crash was heard again, but it sounded different this time; it sounded close. Suddenly, the ghost rounded the corner, roaring and screaming in pain as an iron chain was wrapped tight around his throat. Mabel was hanging from his back, held onto both ends of the chain and using her weight to hold it against the ghost. Dipper drops the pen in his hand.

Seeing the ghost in the light - a burly, half-visible specter with an eternally bleeding gash in it's head and several glowing marks from contact with iron - inspired a sudden, grisly image of bloodied, broken bodies surrounding him. This being could kill him. This being could kill Mabel.

Where is Pacifica?  
  
"DIPPER! NOW WOULD BE NICE!" Mabel screams, snapping him out of his haze. The ghost thrashes, sending silverware and pans flying from counters and shelves. He ducks, just barely dodging a butcher knife. His hand lands on his pen, which he quickly uncaps and spears into the cap of the bottle. He immediately aims at the ghost, spraying the solution as it tries to shake Mabel from its back.

The ghost screams in anguish as its body starts to sizzle and bubble away like grease in a frying pan, just as the iron chain snaps from the force and sends Mabel crashing into a book shelf, a violent crack being heard as the main middle shelf cracks in half, the books all tumbling down in a pile, pummeling the collapsed and motionless girl, hiding her from view.

"MABEL!" Dipper moves toward her, then checks himself as the ghost stumbles, portions of its body a glistening orange. The ghost heaves, air seeming to whistle into fake lungs as it steadies itself. The air in the room grows cooler, a sense of murderous rage and animosity filling the void between them as the ghastly rose to cast a glare at him. He takes a step back, wobbling as his foot haphazardly lands on a pan handle.

The ghost growls louder, suddenly unleashing a blood-thirsty scream, befitting of a banshee, lunging toward Dipper with all it's might. It's eyes were glowing red, body wreathed in shadows as its rage grew to utter blistering fury. There was no time for logic.

Dipper backpedaled, his foot slipping from under him and body crashing to the ground heavily. In the next moment, a heavy presence falls on his chest, hands wrapping around his throat, overlapping each other as the palms crush down on his windpipe. Spit splatters his cheek. Some part of him forces his hands up to pry at the abuse to his throat, but his finger close around empty air.

Air. His vision blurs. He needs air. He vaguely hears a wheeze. His hands fling about, grabbing anything within reach. Air. Where is it? What is it? He needs something. He has something. He needs air. No! His eyes lock on the screaming ghost above him and for a moment, one glorious moment, logic clicks back into place. His hands pull at his vest, sloppy and uncoordinated. Something metal touches his fingertips and his grip tightens. Air, air, air, he needs air, he can't see, he's coughing-

The pressure suddenly eases, a grating whoosh of air sliding viciously through his respiratory system.

Through rapidly blurring vision, and the pounding of ear drums, he vaguely heard what sounded like rapid foot steps and a voice. Hands gently grab him, dragging him towards a wall, seeming to struggle with his weight. "M-" A violent cough racks his body. "Mabel-" He wheezes slightly, breathing stammering before slowly returning to normal. His eyesight returns sluggishly.

Pacifica was in front of him, gingerly tilting his head this way and that. "Christ, your neck is black. Holy shit."

" 'm fin." He raises an arm in the general direction of Mabel. "Mabel. Thrown. Think shays u'co'shes."

She stares, before huffing slightly, muttering so quietly that Dipper almost doesn't hear."I'm more worried that my only hope against that bastard Gideon becoming the Eye's pupil just got choked out by a ghost....Which is trapped inside a mirror for some reason."

She glances over at said mirror, the ghost furiously pounding on the glass, screaming in anger. After a moment, she walks over, bending down to pick it up, only to be flung back by an unseen force, making her scream. The sudden movement and sound shoots adrenaline through his system. He struggles to stand, forcing himself to take deep breath. What just happened? Could level tens do that? Was the mirror not enough?

There was slow approaching foot-steps and a snide laugh. "Well, that was quick thinking, Dipper. Thought that he was going to pop your head off." Gideon snickers, picking up the mirror and shaking it back and forth, causing the spirit inside to scream in anguish and in rage as its tossed around like a ragdoll.

"Gideon." The animosity in his voice almost scares him. He's never been so annoyed and disgusted by another person before. "You just... stood there and watched? We could have died!"

"Well, honestly, if you had died, then any threat of mine would be gone. Why the hell would I have cared?" He smirks, walking over to the other slowly, twirling the mirror in hand. It was clear his intentions were not benevolent in the least, judging by the way he was gripping the mirror by the glass instead of the handle.

Dipper's eyes dance between Gideon's face and his hand. A prickle of what he would only admit to himself as fear runs through his body. His feet shuffle back a step. "You don't know how to exorcise it," he chanced.

"Heh. If that was a joke, it was piss-poor. I've been reading Stanford's Journals front to back for years. I know damn well how to handle this beast." He doesn't stop even for a second.

"I don't trust you to do that yourself." He fidgets. "Stop swinging it so much. You'll break it if you drop it."

"Oh, I'll be more concerned about it breaking when I use it to smash in yoUR GOD DAMN SKULL!" His almost monotone voice suddenly explodes into a red face scream as he plunges the handle of the mirror toward him, angling it like a blade.

Dipper deftly dodges the attack, heart thumping, but trips over his own feet and lands on the floor. He scrambles unsteadily to his hands and knees, grabbing the nearest item he could find. Gideon lunges again and manages to crack the iron hard across Dipper's face, then again, and again. He probably lost a tooth at this point.

He raises his arms in self-defense, kicking shoddily. His head ached. His jaw twinged. The sharp edge of the mirror digs into his forearm, ripping a muffled scream from his lips.

Suddenly, there was a loud crack and Gideon was flung off of Dipper's body with a screech. A blurr of pink and a gem-covered bat slams down hard on his chest making him wheeze, the wind having been knocked out of him. When the bat pulls away the amulet falls to pieces on the floor.

Mabel was battered and bruised, shaking with exhaustion and a small gash on the side of her head, glaring down at Gideon with murder in her eyes. She picks the little pig up by the scruff of his neck, and uses the shaft of the bat to pin him against the wall. She glares, leaning in close, body trembling with fury. "You fucking touch Dipper again, and I will rip out your eyeballs and proceed to choke you with the optical nerves! I will shove my hot glue gun down your throat! I will cover your dead bloated corpse in so much wax and glitter that they won't be able to tell the difference between you and a tacky museum artifact! STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!"

With that, she lets him drop, giving him one final kick to the face before walking over to Dipper. She scoops him up carefully, face turning into worry. "..Dip-Dip? Are you ok? How many fingers?" She isn't holding any up.

"It's, uh, just your fist." He takes deep breaths, denying the fact that his body his shaking. "Where - where's the ghost? We can't let it out."

She huffs, holding him in her arms as she, rather unsteadily, climbs to her feet. "Forget the god damn ghost...We gotta get out of here. I wanna go home." She wipes at the stream of blood running down her temple.

"It's not a normal ghost, Mabes. I don't think the mirror can hold it forever." He shifts, glancing over the ground for the mirror. "I didn't see anything like it in Ford's journals. None of them could decide what portion of their essence is physical or not. Or both."

"I'm more concerned about you! This little quest of yours is done! It's over, and that's it!" She holds him closer, unsteadily jogging toward the main entrance.

"Mabel." He squirms. "Mabel, put me down. We need to take care of that ghost."

She growls, only tightening her grip. "Dipper, please. I'm done with this, I nearly saw you get killed by a god damn white-haired midget, ok? The ghost is in a mirror, it can't do anything now, lets just leave."

He grumbles slightly, worrying over the possibility of the ghost escaping. "At least take the mirror with us."

"No way in hell am I going back for that thing. And neither are you. Matter as a fact, until you're healed up, no more quests. None. You got me?" She glares sternly at him.

He stills, then sighs and leans his head against her shoulder. He was still shaking, and a steady throb was starting up in his throat and head.  
Quietly, Mabel mutters under her breath. "Honestly, for all I know your triangle friend isn't even real..."

Dipper's eyes widen at the statement, but he doesn't react otherwise. Bill... Bill is real. He didn't make him up. He isn't crazy. There was no way he could've made up all of that stuff in the Mindscape, right? Right?

As Mabel approached the front doors to the mansion, there was the sound of police sirens, and she could see red and blue lights flashing just outside the windows. "Didn't think they could hear all that from this far away." Dipper cradles his wounded arm, as if he had forgotten about the gash ripped into his skin.

"It's a good thing they did." She opens the door, walking out into the open. Immediately she was surrounded by Ford, as well as Blubs and Durland.

The rest of the night, to Dipper, is mostly a blur. He vaguely recalls being settled on a car seat, one of the officers treating his superficial wounds. Ford stays with him, a stony look on his face. He mumbles something about the mirror - or maybe that was Mabel? - and he momentarily leaves to retrieve the object. Some time after that, he closes his eyes, drifting into a blank rest. Mabel watches him, clutching a rag to her temple.

Then she suddenly gasps, reaching out to stop the car door just as it shuts. "Wait! I need to get our bags!" Before anyone can protest, she runs out the car and back into the mansion. She hurries up the stairs, navigating her way to the trophy room. The door was still wide open, her belongings scattered on the floor from the rushed search for their walkie talkies.

With a small sigh of relief, she walks into the room, kneeling down gingerly to scoop up her stuff. For a moment, just a moment, something catches her eye. A tiny golden, artificial glint coming from between a shelf and a wall. She stops, looking up at the curious object. What could be hidden behind a bookshelf?

Slowly, she hooks her fingers into the gap, blinking as she feels oddly stiff fabric, the grooves telling her it had been woven together, most likely by hand. Going by texture, it was probably satin. Frowning slightly, she grips onto the fabric tighter, yanking it out of its hiding place to flop onto the blood-soaked floor. She cringes slightly as the fabric begins soaking in the blood, but her eyes widen at the sight of a triangular form sewn into the satin. She could barely see burning trees and two kneeling figures.

She stares for a long moment, long after the details of the depiction is swallowed up in red. There was something about the sight that made her heart quicken in its pace. Her skin crawled with unease, and she stands up slowly, unable to take her eyes off of it.

Behind her, Ford watched, eyes unseeing behind silver lenses, his mouth pulled into a tight line.


	11. A Dream (and a fight)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little intermission chapter! A bit of a break from the regular story!
> 
> Keep those comments coming!

He could feel his shoulder blades digging into the cold marble floor. The hands gripping him slam his head against the stone, a sickening smack resounding throughout the small room. There is pain, everywhere, but mostly around his neck. What little air he could breathe grates against his insides, tearing cuts into him instead of providing reprieve. He dimly recognizes the feeling of tears falling down his face. The figure above him glares furiously. His mouth is moving, he's saying things, things he doesn't want to hear, and he tries to look away. The grip around his neck becomes too much and he regretfully returns his eyes to the being's face.

The only thing he could make out was dark red eyes mixed with a body made out of blackened smog, glaring down at him with a hatred that was most inhuman. That voice rings in his pounding ears, dull, but still audible. No matter what he did, he could never block it out. "Don't you get it? You're nothing. Just a stupid kid with beyond idiotic dreams that will never come true. You're a delusional dipshit that will be hated by everyone and everything because of your own actions."

Dipper cringes, fruitlessly kicking at his attacker. That isn't true. He won't be a disappointment. He isn't delusional. He flings a fist at a red eye, nearly reaching it before a hand snatches his wrist and pins it next to him. The sounds of bones grinding fill his ears.

The voice lets out a harsh laugh, grinning nastily as it squeezes down on Dipper's hand. "See? Like I said, a total disappointment. You think your precious family loves you? No, they hate you. Everyone hates you, they just don't have the guts to say it."

"You're - you're wrong-" He flinches, something wet hitting his face. The hand clenches around his neck, the figure growling curses at him. His hand shakes, despite being clenched so harshly. He closes his eyes against the pain.

Suddenly, his eyes open, and his body jolts upward. The hand, the being, and with it, the voice, all disappeared without a trace. He was back in his room. He was bandaged up, but otherwise safe. He takes a ragged breath and pulls his knees close to his body. He's safe. It was just a nightmare. His heart refuses to slow, skin prickling with disgust. He could... He should take a shower. Just to calm himself. Just to settle himself in the present.  
  
Ford sat quietly at his desk, looking over a sample of the ghost's essence he had obtained when retrieving the mirror. He surveyed underneath a microscope, face turned down slightly in a frown. He doesn't even look up before speaking. "What is it, Stanley? Going to punch my teeth in?"

"I want to, but I doubt that would help anything." He stands, back rigid, in the doorway. His mouth is set in a sharp line. "Even after Dipper came back with a serious concussion, you let them go out again? You didn't even tell me!"

"I didn't even know they were going to the Northwest manor. That, and there's no way I could have ever predicted that ghost being that destructive, Stanley. It's a damn ghost for crying out loud; it's not supposed to be able to inflict physical damage on corporeal bodies." He briefly lifts up his head to flash Stan a rather irritated glance. "You don't really think I'd actually let them get hurt, right?"

"Then what happened? Why didn't you tell me what was going on?" He moves further into the room, gesticulating widely.

"I don't know what happened. I'm trying to figure that out." Ford sighs heavily, rubbing at his face, looking remarkably tired in that moment.

Stan frowns, but rubs his face, feeling similarly weighted. "They can't go out again, Ford."

"Knowing Dipper, that'll just make him want to explore even more. You can't be telling me you want to put the boy under house arrest." He glances over at his brother, looking a bit irritated again.

"No, I..." He exhales. "Fine. We can't stop him. But can't we... chaperone their next adventure? Just as a safeguard?"

Ford suddenly shakes his head, taking off his glasses and cleaning them. "No, I will. You stay and keep an eye on Mabel. What if she goes running off too?"

He starts to protest, then sighs again and nods. "Yeah. That would work. But what if they both go, like with this last time?"

"After the ghost, I don't think she'll be too keen on it. If anything, she'll be hanging out with those two girls." Ford turns back to the microscope.

"Right." He huffs and runs a hand over his face. "Oh, great. I get to be the creep stalking girls." He peeks between his fingers at Ford. "This would all be a lot simpler if-"

"Stanley, if something happens, I can protect Dipper. Your brass knuckles can only do so much." He rolls his eyes.

"I get it, Stanford! I'm useless around here. There's practically no point to me being here or trying to help with anything!"

"...Of course there's a point to you being here. And you already know what it is." Ford looks a little bit hurt by this, his mouth turning down in a slight frown.

"It's insanity to believe any of that bs! I would have expected you, the rational one of the family, to have known that, but no. Of course not." Stan rolls his eyes at his brother's expression.

Ford's expression suddenly hardens, and he turns away, pointedly not sparing a glance at Stan anymore. "Fine, if that's what you believe, you can go ahead and believe it. But when you're proven wrong, you better apologize and admit it."

"I won't be proven wrong, Sixer." He shakes his head, turning toward the door.

Ford says nothing and just tweaks the microscope. Stan grits his teeth and walks straight out the door, into the cool night air, the sky crystal clear and twinkling with stars. He moves almost robotically, his feet taking him down a familiar trail. He passes by the town, the forest, the whole region getting steadily smaller behind him.

Some passing creatures watch him, but do not dare to cross him. He mutters under his breath about impossible prophecies. He walks with a purpose, destination in mind and intent clear on his face. Eventually he comes to a stop, right next to a standard sign that signifies the end of the border. Slowly, Stan takes a breath, backs up a foot, then suddenly charges. He passes the point where paved road becomes cracked and pot-holed, passes the sign, and-

Stan cries out as he suddenly runs right into what feels like a wall, stumbling back for a few moments before falling, nose slightly bloodied. He cradles his face, watching with gritted teeth as the air in front of him wobbles and shimmers like a bubble that refuses to pop. Dammit.

The old man sighs, his expression turning from irritation to melancholy, standing up quietly. He glances over the horizon, fists clenching hard, before turning and slowly walking away. It was best not to try and do that again anyway.

After all, his shoulder was burning like hell.

 


	12. Conspiracy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More intermissions! This one is real spicy!

Dipper struggles slightly with his shirt. He had decided a cold shower would be best to calm himself down. The jittery feeling is still there, but much less than before; the feeling of oil on his skin had similarly disappeared. The bruise around his neck had not. He takes the moment to inspect the dark bruise. Pacifica hadn't been joking when she said his neck was entirely black, though the bruise itself is now tinging the surrounding skin a disgusting green color. Certain places hurt too much to touch, and stretching his neck causes discomfort. He should probably get an ice pack in the morning; he isn't surprised that he woke up a quarter before one, but his body is begging for rest. It had complained the entire shower, and now his hands were becoming inarticulate. If he couldn't sleep, then he'd just have to rest.

When his head meets the pillow, he almost instantly falls asleep. He could feel his dream building up as his mind came awake, piece by piece. Except...Something felt off. He shivers, absently clutching his injured arm. The back of his neck tingles. He hesitantly opens his eyes, glancing around to gain his bearings. The forest...Was not a forest anymore. It actually had changed, looking eerily similar to the interiors of the Northwest Manor. Plates and mirrors were floating by aimlessly, and the distant sound of raindrops could be heard gently thudding against the glass windows. Everything seemed calm, definitely not the start of a nightmare.

He shifts, relaxing slightly. As long as that thing isn't here, he'll be fine. He can deal with floating mirrors and plates if it means no more nightmares. ...Something reaches his ears, beyond soft and quiet that it almost wasn't heard. He jerks his head up slightly, unsure if he did hear it or not. Then, after cupping a hand to his ear, he heard it again. It was his name, being called out from outside the windows.

He deliberates for a moment - is it some monster come to plague him? Is it just goading him into opening the window so it can get to him? - but inevitably decides to investigate the noise. He finds the nearest window and peers into the darkness, unsure of what he's looking for. Then his heart freezes, paling harshly when all he saw was inky blackness. The void. The minds of the Elder Gods, all right within reach. And they were calling to him.

They... they knew his name. How did they know his name? He didn't even tell Bill his name. He hasn't told either Stan or Ford. Wait. No. They're just saying, "Dipper" now. Something like a bolt of lightning cuts across the sky, illuminating a swirling pattern of gradient blues. The rain seems to pour down harder against the glass, almost as if it was goading the boy to open the window. The voices began to say something else. "..Open...Open.."

"I don't even know exactly who or what you are." Despite his paranoia, he still feels compelled to open the window. He doesn't want to open the window, but... He should? The feeling confuses him. "I don't... Just... What do you want?"

"...See...To see..." The void manages to whisper these words right before its suddenly pushed back, up to the point where it could be considered nothing but sky. There was a distant voice coming from down a hall.

"Pine Tree? Pine Tree! You there?"

He whips around, shaking a vague sense of dizziness from his mind. "Bill?"

The demon was seen coming around a corner, his eye going wide at the sight of the boy so close to the window. "Hey! Get away from there; you could have your mind shattered into pieces!" He zips over, turning Dipper around and pushing him away from the void hurriedly, carrying the air of a nervous mother hen.

Dipper huffs slightly, but takes note of the reaction. "I'm fine, Bill. I just wanted to look at it. Maybe document it or something. I dunno." He manages to duck away from Bill's persistently guiding hands when they reach the top of a staircase.

"You meat sacks can't even handle looking into their faces without cracking like old cement! How do you expect to handle their MINDS? Honestly, kid!" He huffs, looking a bit disgruntled.

"I, um... Their minds?" He tilts his head. "What do you mean?"

Bill pauses, blinking for a few moments as if Dipper just grew a second head. Then he winces. "I really hope that ghost didn't choke out a few of your brain cells."

He cringes and looks away, arms crossed. "Well, that is what happens when your brain doesn't get oxygen within a certain amount of time."

The demon sees the defensive posture and simply swerves around, his eye getting into Dipper's face. "I already told you didn't I? The void contains the minds of Elder Gods."

Dipper takes a step back, half raising his hands. "Sorry, but I simply don't remember that. Most of what happened the first time I saw that thing is really blurry."

"..Hmm...That's weird." Bill frowns, expression looking slightly more intense, rubbing at the skin under his eye in thought. He then shrugs before looking around. "Well, it may be a way to explain..this. Dreamscapes don't really change. At all. Ever."

He blinks at that, but then shrugs. In a weird way, he almost expected this place to be his dreamscape, despite the drastic change in scenery. "Well, I doubt the forest was my dreamscape before I got here."

"No, the dreamscape represents the person. Their state of being. Yours was a forest, and that was it. And now it's...a mansion?" Bill frowns, looking genuinely puzzled.

He shakes his head, one hand gesturing loosely. "It reminds me of the Northwest's mansion." He absently grabs one of the floating mirrors, looking into it, only to see himself. But he looks a bit younger.

Bill stares for a moment, then sighs. "Fine, sure, whatever. Your mind is somehow changing its entire cosmic layout, something that is, by definition, not supposed to happen. No big whoop."

Dipper is quiet, still avoiding eye contact with him. He fidgets with another mirror. "People change, Bill." After another moment, he turns and flings his arms, nearly glaring at Bill. "And I just nearly died! Twice! In the span of ten minutes. And Mabel.... I can't believe I let her talk me into letting her come."

Bill blinks at the sudden turn around in tone, and he holds up his hands defensively. "Hey, your sister was doing just fine! She wrangled a ghost and beat Gideon to a bloody pulp!"

"She was still hurt! If she had-" He cuts himself off, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. "I can't do these trials anymore. Not if this keeps happening. Not with Gideon."

Bill looks alarmed now, suddenly diving close and wrapping an arm around Dipper. "Hey, hey! Now, you can't just pull out of something like this halfway through! You're almost done! Just one more trial, kiddo! C'mon, do it for me, Pine Tree!" He faces the boy, hands clasping his shoulders.

Dipper's eyes shift, uncertain. "I... Bill, I... Honest, I want to do these things. I want to help you. But the way Gideon is handling things just makes things worse. It upsets the situation. And that happens because I'm there. He - he blows up because he thinks this is just some competition. Removing me from the equation lessens the possibility of harm to others."

Bill frowns, looking slightly concerned. He sighs and pats Dipper's shoulder. "Ok, look. Here's an idea; get your Great Uncle Stanford to come with you. That way, Gideon won't pull any shit. Here's a bonus: Mabel smashed the amulet."

Dipper felt his heart leap. "What? She... The amulet is gone?"

"Yup. While you were recovering, she turned that shiny stone into nothing but dust! Heheh. Feel safer now, right?" Bill smiles at the expression on the boy's face, playfully ruffling his hair.

He shies away from the hand, but nods. "Yeah. Makes things more even."

"Sooo? You gonna keep on going? Eh? Ehh?" He nudges Dipper's shoulder with an elbow.

Dipper again moves back from his hands. "Yeah, yeah. I'll do it. Can I just sleep now? Normally? Sorry, I just kinda.. wanna rest."

The demon stares for a few moments, then nods softly. "Yeah, sure. Right...Uhh, talk to you later, I guess?"

"Yeah." He rubs the back of his neck, leaning against the wall.

"..Good night, kiddo." Bill smiles slightly as he fades away from view, waving. As the dream fades, he sighs, rubbing over his eye with his hands as he floats along the Mindscape. While he wished he could chat with Pine Tree longer, he knew that he had to go and visit someone other then him. Unfortunately.

As he sunk into this human's mind he could feel his distaste and irritation increase with every second. Somehow, despite his body not having skin, he could feel his edges tingle with disgust. He sighs, watching the gigantic castle form, comprised of mostly white marble and turquoise, before turning to face the dreamer. "Hello, Gideon.."

The runt immediately bows to him, hair nearly touching the floor. "My Eye! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Bill sighs, the urge to yank the little shit's bouffant out of his scalp growing with every second he stares at it. "..Well, I see you've failed at the second trial. And failed at the first. Not like you at all, Shortstack." He summons his cane, twirling it almost leisurely, yet his expression mirrors thinly veiled displeasure.

He straightens, a slightly worried look his face. "I - I'm sorry, My Eye. I would have succeeded, if Pines hadn't brought his sister with him-"

"Don't make excuses, Shortstack." Bill suddenly growls, bringing the end of his cane down hard onto the ground. It sends a ripple throughout the dream, slowly beginning to darken. "Look at you, one of the best hunters of this town and yet you're felled by something as pathetic as an arrow and a plastic-gem-covered baseball bat. I'm starting to think I'm wasting my time here. After all, this sniveling brat of a Pines managed to best you every single time. What kind of prodigy can't deal with a nerdy twit like him?!"

His face reddens. "I can deal with him! Give me one more chance to show you I am worthy!"

"..Tch. At this point I highly doubt it. Even Pine Tree is starting to think you're all bark and no bite." He scoffs, rolling his eye.

"No! He will not think that!" He nearly growls the words, fists balled in anger.

Bill suddenly grows red, eye flashing black as his body expands, towering over Gideon menacingly. He picks the runt up by the scruff of the neck, narrowing his eye. "Oh yeah? And why shouldn't he? After all, you lost your amulet, you lost the gnome ring, and you failed to catch the ghost! The boy does nothing but laugh at you, and he has every right! I don't need fragile meat sacks that do nothing but scream and throw hissy fits! I need the absolute BEST!"

Bill suddenly roars with anger, eye lighting up with a dangerous red glow. Gideon could feel the air get hotter and hotter as the light got more and more concentrated. "ARE YOU MY PUPIL?! OR ARE YOU THE DIRT PINE TREE WILL WALK ON?!"

Gideon quivers in the demon's grasp. "I... I will be your pupil."

"..Good. You better make sure that happens." With that, he's dropped, and Bill shoots himself out of the dream. He lets his body fade to normal, the red being replaced by a soft yellow. He couldn't help but start laughing, a mirthful cackle that sent the void above reeling backward.

That runt was a god damn idiot, anyone could see that. He was so quick to believe everything Bill said just because he presented himself as a divine God. So haughty in the way he presented himself, it was downright grating on his blackened soul. He couldn't help but laugh again, this one more malicious. He couldn't wait to tear all those stupid fantasies down and rip them to pieces. "..You're such an idiot, Shortstack."

His eye glows a haunting blue. "I've already made my choice."


	13. A Movie (and a baby lizard).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait everyone! Please continue to comment!

The following few days are rather quiet around the Pines' houses. Occasionally someone comes to get Stanford for one reason or another, but the man mostly spends his time out of his home. 'Work reasons,' he always says. Stan never questions it. The twins mind their own business, for the most part. The bruise around Dipper's neck, and the sharp gash in his arm, heals appropriately. The lump on Mabel's head heals faster, and any scrapes or bruises fade within the first few days.

Eventually, Candy and Grenda had stopped by, knocking on the door to Stan's house. Candy occasionally glanced over at Ford's house, looking ready to bolt over there and snatch every beautiful dream catcher she could see. Mabel bounds down the stairs to answer the door, managing to only slip once before slamming the door open. A stereotypically girly screech follows.

Stan, who was in the kitchen, jumps three feet in the air and spills his coffee all over the ground, the man hunching over slightly and clutching his chest. "..Fuck...I'm getting too old for this.."

Dipper comes running down the stares, all gangly limbs and caffeinated eyes. "Who's dying?" He sees Stan, then glances down the hall, and sighs and rubs his face. "Ok. Good."

"The one who will be dead is me if you two keep scaring me like that." Stan groans and rubs his eyes, before picking up the spilled coffee mug. He washes it off and turns around, only to find the coffee pitcher is suddenly gone. "Wha-?"

The old man turned around quickly, only to see Dipper's shoes rapidly run back up the stairs. He takes a deep breath, grumbling as Mabel and her friends walk into the house. He begins to get out the pancake batter, glancing at Mabel out of the corner of his eye. "Uhh...So, who are these two?"

"Candy and Grenda!" She gestures flamboyantly to both. "We've hung out a few times. Ooh! Do you guys wanna try out my sprinkle and glitter pancakes?"

Stan chuckles, a bit amused. "You're lucky the stores around here are stocked to the brim with that stuff; you chow it down like cows eat grass." He does, however, get both ingredients out.

She fist pumps the air and then high fives Stan, skipping around him and pulling over a chair to help him. Dipper is pouring two cups of coffee at one of the counters, somehow having emptied most of the entire pitcher in the span of three minutes. Good god, that kid is gonna have health problems.

Stan sighs slightly, shaking his head. Sometimes the...oddness of his family, himself included, got to be slightly tiring. "Kid, I think that's enough coffee. I saw you drink out of the pitcher with a bendy straw 3 days ago."

He sputters, flushing slightly. "Th-that was one time. And one of these is yours. I'm not, like, addicted or anything."

The man pinches his nose slightly. "..You drank at least 5 cups after your mosquito bite spelled out...What was it again? BEWARB?"

"It probably meant to say 'beware.' And I had a rough night sleeping that night." He fidgets.

"...I feel like I should just throw out the maker, but something is telling me you'd try and snort the grinds." Stan scoffs, grabbing the second cup.

Dipper wrinkles his nose. "Ew. Gross. No. I'd probably just make a new one. Or make it the old fashioned way. Kettles are the best." He pours a generous amount of sugar into his cup and takes a seat at the table.

"Well, glad to know you aren't that desperate. Unlike some people." Stan rolls his eyes, obviously referring to his brother, starting to get the pancakes ready. The two girls take a seat at the table when Mabel waves to them. Dipper glances at them, then takes a large gulp of his coffee.

Candy immediately gasps, her hands flying up to her mouth. Grenda cringes. "Oh my God, what happened to your neck?"

He blinks, then looks aside, almost blushing. "I, uh, wasn't very careful with a ghost. Vengeful spirits are one thing, but this one was... definitely something different. Still trying to figure it out."

Mabel grins wide, pounding her fist on the table. "Oh, guys, you should've been there! It was awesome! There were animal heads drooling blood and a guy with an axe through his skull and a beard made of fire!"

Grenda chuckles. "Wow! Sounds amazing. Did you kill it?"

"Hell yeah we killed it! Trapped it in a mirror and fried its soul to a crisp!" She smirks proudly.

Dipper allows a small smile to grace his lips. "It was rather difficult though. And it destroyed a good portion of the building."

"We still did it, though! And that's what counts!"

"True, true." Stan walks over with a plateful of pancakes in one hand and a stack of plates in the other. He gives each of the kids a plate after placing the pancakes on the table. Mabel is practically bouncing in her seat, sprinkles and glitter ready to be poured. Dipper, meanwhile, accepts the butter pan from Stan while stifling a yawn.

"So, girls, what are we doing today?" Mabel grins as she grabs at least three pancakes, slathering them in syrup and the aforementioned glitter and sprinkles.

Grenda pulls two pancakes onto her own plate. "Well, things have been kinda boring for us, so we were wondering if you wanted to hang out or something."

"Of course! I could use some time with my friends!" She grins, then hums, tapping her chin softly. "Hmm...But what should we do?"

"I brought my makeup supplies," Candy offers.

Mabel hums, but shakes her head. "Nah, not today."

"We could go on another walk."

"Ooh! Ooh! We could have a movie night or something!"

"I did bring popcorn..."

Dipper grins a bit and nods. "A movie does sound pretty good."

Mabel nods vigorously. "I have some movies I brought from Piedmont. We can look at those and see which ones we want to watch."

Dipper grins, starting to get up from his chair. "We can eat the pancakes while watching a movie! But it has to be something we ALL want to watch." At this, he glares pointedly at Mabel.

Mabel giggles, a swindling look on her face. "Democracy rules, Dipping Sauce."

. Dipper scoffs, rolling his eyes. He then grins back, eyes narrowing. "Sure, but last time I checked, hammer rules against DVD."

Stan leans back against the counter. "Well, whatever you kids decide to do, don't destroy anything and try not to fight. I might have to do some shopping later."

Dipper blinks, then sighs, shaking his head. "If you watched any of Mabel's movies, you would have the exact reaction."

Stan shrugs. "You never know."

Dipper rolls his eyes before getting up and walking into the livingroom, wanting to get first movie pick. The girls follow him shortly thereafter. "What kinds of movies do you have?"

"Oh, monster movies, ghost movies, horror stuff, those kinds of things." He gestures to his side of the shelf.

"Anything with action?" They come closer, Mabel pushing past them with the plate of pancakes.

Dipper bites his lip, humming. "Umm....There are a few." He pulls a select DVD's out and shows them. "We got Jaws, Scream, and...the Ring."

Candy and Grenda glance at each other, both noticing the caution in Dipper's voice. "The Ring?"

Dipper sighs, looking nervous, rubbing an arm. "It's a horror movie about a haunted video tape. And if you watch the tape, supposedly, you die 7 days later."

"Oooh! Sounds neat!" Grenda grins widely. "Let's watch it!"

He looks down at the movie, then sighs, shrugging"...Well, it's better then girl stuff..Ok, Mabel. We got our movie."

She bounds over to him, the bottle of syrup and sprinkles in her hands. "Ooh, The Ring! Okay. Everyone get comfortable. I'll make the popcorn."

Grenda and Candy hop onto the couch, while Dipper sits on the floor. He pops in the movie just so he can set it up. He slightly adjusts the settings, letting the menu sequence play out a few times while they wait for Mabel. Eventually, Mabel comes back with popcorn that has been absolutely smothered in chocolate.  
Dipper snickers softly at his sister's antics, but doesn't say anything when Grenda and Candy seem entirely enthused by her ingenuity.

"MOVIE! MOVIE! MOVIE!" They all start chanting.

Dipper chuckles, deflecting a few popcorn kernels before starting the movie. "Okay, okay! I yield!"

The girls cheer and huddle in, grinning as they already start eating. Dipper sits on the ground in front of them and starts the movie. Stan watches from the kitchen, amused. Those kids are gonna be scared shitless.

It isn't all too far into the movie when they all find themselves huddled together around the couch. The girls clutch each other, Dipper sitting with his back pressed against the couch, and Mabel clutches Dipper's shoulder. Dipper was shaking slightly, eyes shutting tight every time even a smidgen of the video was seen. "See? Scary."

The girls reply with mute nods, popcorn forgotten between them. "This is.. Ggh." Mabel shudders, rubbing her arms as her hair stands on end.

"Yup...And the worst part is...You can still die even if you're blind." Dipper's eyes were covered by his hands at this point, shaking like a leaf.

Mabel bites her lip, glancing between the TV screen and her brother before turning to her friends. "You guys wanna... find something else to do? This is...really creeping me out."

"Yes." Dipper nods.

"Definitely." Candy straightens up.

"Absolutely." Grenda gets up off the couch to turn on the lights.

Dipper nearly slams the button on the remote, relaxing as the TV faded to black. "Why do we even own that movie?"

"Because Mom and Dad keep thinking that just because you hunted a yeti in the city dump you like horror movies?" Mabel picks up the popcorn, shoveling a nervous fistful into her mouth.

He groans, tossing his head back and curling up on the ground. "I don't understand them. They're so... unorthodox. Illogical."

"Yeah, I agree with you there. Remember that time they threw you a party at Chuck. E. Chimpmunk's because they thought you wanted a big party?' And you were, what, 10?" Mabel leans against him, offering him the bowl.

He rolls his eyes. "Yeah. That was a fun time." He grabs a few popcorn bits and chews them forlornly.

Candy winces slightly. "Ooh. What happened there?"

"Uh. Not entirely sure, to be honest. The animatronics went all crazy and some people got hurt. We didn't see much of it."

Grenda's eyes go wide. "Jeez, dude."

He shrugs. "We've always had some weird encounters."

"Really? Like what?"

He shrugs again, standing and glancing at Mabel. "We kinda... attract trouble. I think we met a few fays or faeries or something too. Milk and sugar and night and all."

"What?" Grenda looks confused.

"Faeries like sweetened milk or cream, so if you mix sugar and milk or cream, and set it outside your door, they'll come and drink it. There's actually a lot of them in Piedmont. They're, like, two inches tall though."

"Wow. Sounds cool." She grins, only to blink, as there was a suddenly loud crash from upstairs.

Dipper, in nearly a split second after the sound, is on his feet. "That came from upstairs. Mabel. Bat."

"On it." She leaps to her feet, digs a hand into the couch and pulls it out. "I've stashed 6 spares around the house."

"Great." He pulls his trusty flashlight from his vest, whispering under his breath, "Please, please, please don't be a ghost. Or a possessed video demon. Please."

Grenda walks over to Stan's chair and lifts it over her head with minimal effort. Candy takes out her forks, attaches them to her fingers and brandishes them like claws. Slowly, they all tiptoe up the stairs. A scuttling noise comes from the bedroom, followed by a the crash of something shattering. Dipper stealthily makes his way to the door, putting a hand on the knob and glances at the girls. They all raise their weapons and nod.

He flings the door open and they charge in, screaming at varying levels. Something small, reptilian, and seemingly wet perks up on Mabel's bed, then makes a high pitched squeaking noise and scuttles across the blankets. It falls to the floor, scrambles to its feet, and squeaks again.

Mabel immediately screams, dropping the bat and tackling Dipper, slamming her hands over his eyes. "DON'T LOOK AT IT!"

The twins fall to the ground as Grenda and Candy stare at them. The newborn basilisk trills sharply at the shout, running in a seemingly random direction and running into a wall. Mabel waves her hand blindly, her own eyes shut tight. "It's a basilisk! Get down!"

The girls gasp and shut their eyes while the basilisk takes up a wailing sound. Dipper pushes at Mabel's hands, just barely managing to pry her off of his face for a moment. "It's hurting itself!"

"It'll freeze you! Petrifying eyes, remember?!" She grapples him, trying her damnedest to keep him pinned to the floor.

"It barely knows how to walk!" His vision goes dark again as her hands find purchase on his face. He grumbles as he hears the basilisk gather its legs below and skitter across the room. "It's probably really freaked out!"

"How do you know you won't look at it?! It can still freeze you, even on accident, Dipper!"

"I'll keep my eyes closed. Promise." He works at her index finger, slowly pulling it away from his face.

Her fingers relax, slowly. "..Promise?"

"Twin promise." He goes still to make sure she hears him.

"...Fine." She climbs off of him, her hands covering her eyes.

He takes a deep breath, raising onto his hands and knees and shuffling in the direction of the basilisk. The little lizard hisses meekly, backed into a corner. "Hey... It's alright. I just wanna say hi." He shuffles a little closer, then extends a hand toward the creature.

It goes quiet, and a little tickling sensation flickers over his palm, as if it was smelling him. It then gives a delighted squeak, zipping up and tackling Dipper. Despite its infancy, it's almost as big as he is. He yelps, expecting sharp claws, but then chuckles as a long snout nuzzles his cheek. "Hey there." Dipper pats the basilisk on the side, the weight on his chest making him lose his breath. "How ya' doin', bud?"

It trills happily, starting to playfully lick and nip at his face, arms wrapping around his neck.

"Heh. Nice to meet you too." He sits up, gently patting its head. His first pat misses slightly, hand practically covering the creature's eye, and he...  
feels something. Something odd. Well, he only felt scales. Not necessarily odd, but... He felt them where the basilisk's eyes were supposed to be.

Against his better judgement, Dipper slowly opens his eyes. The basilisk, a brilliant blueish-green color, doesn't have any eyes. It doesn't even have eye sockets. Other than its nose and mouth, its face is remarkably smooth. It was sitting on his stomach, a thin tail wagging back and forth excitedly. It has tiny, crumpled wings on its back that weakly flutters. It's mouth was open, displaying needle-like teeth and a pointed tongue, panting happily.

"Heh. Wow. Hey, uh, guys, it's blind. No eyes." He again strokes the basilisk's cheek, grinning as it nuzzles his hand.

"What?"

"Huh?"

"Pardon?"

They all remove their hands from their eyes and Mabel gasps. "...Aww! It's so CUTE!"

The basilisk perks up, head turning to her. A sort of growl starts in the back of its neck, and Dipper carefully petting its neck. "Hey, it's alright. They're friends."

The basilisk immediately stops crawling, leaning its neck forward to sniff at Mabel. It warbles curiously, before trying to bury its head up her sweater. Dipper quickly hurries over and pulls him back. "Ah. No going under people's clothes. That's kinda weird."

The basilisk snorts, almost seeming to huff at him, before starting to playfully tug at his vest, growling.  
Dipper giggles, gently pushing him back. "Heheh. You really are interested in clothing, aren't you?"

Then there's a sizzling sound, and Grenda screams. "Your jacket's melting!"

His eye widens and he quickly slips out of his vest. "Dammit. I forgot about that. Acidic spit. Wait. You licked me. Why didn't that burn me? I'm not burning, right? I don't feel like I'm burning. Can you control your acid? Or does your acid just not burn me? So many questions." His eyes flick back and forth between his jacket and the basilisk, as if trying to read the answers directly from the creature.

The basilisk just nestles into the vest, turning 3 times before nestling down into the fabric, yawning. "Um. Okay. You're tired." Realization suddenly hits him. "Ah. Oh God. You're going to be hungry soon. Okay. This is... Okay, we're taking care of a basilisk. Okay. We're fine."

"What does a basilisk even eat? How do we take care of it? How do we keep it HIDDEN?! It's just as big as you are, Dipper!" The same realization seems to hit Mabel.  
  
"Ah, they're technically omnivorous, but they prefer meat and certain fruits can mess up their system. And they're fairly independent. As soon as we teach them where they can go and what not to do, then they'll be fine. Though, uh, I think they're somewhat sentient? Maybe? That's new. Though, Stan, he'll, um, yeah, definitely a problem. He, um, I can talk to Ford? I don't know if he's busy, but I think he'll be able to help."

Mabel bites her lip, starting to pace, hands wringing together. "Did you tell him that you kept one? What if he gets mad at you? What if he, he kills it or something?! Didn't he send out Gideon to kill them?!"

"I told him I caught one, but he might have been too busy dealing with how Gideon, well... Gideon was supposed to get an egg from the nest, but he thought that just, uh, killing them all would be best. And when I told Ford about that, he got really angry. He'd probably be happy to hear this one hatched."

"...But, it won't listen to Ford. It'll listen to you. What if it keeps on crawling back?"

"Well, I don't think we can just stop it from doing what it wants. And Stan is definitely going to find out. But Ford could at least help us a little. Especially with food and lodging and such."

Mabel sighs, tapping her foot a bit. "That is true.." She glances over to her side of the room and screams. "MY BED!"

He blinks. "What is it? What happened?"

"It's melted! It melted my bed!"She frantically gestures to her bed, which had a large hole in it, most likely burnt in by the acidic drool. It still smoked a bit, the faintest smell of burning cotton filling the air.

Dipper winces. "Ooh, that doesn't look like it'll be easy to repair."

"You think?! My mattress has a hole in it that's the size of a tree trunk!" She clutches her hair, eyes wide.

"I-I'll use the mattress. We can switch them. It'll be fine." He tries for a smile.

Mabel sighs, rubbing at her temples. It was obvious she was trying to calm herself. "...Ok...Ok. Fine."

"We, um, should probably find something that they can eat. Erm." He cautiously prods the basilisk's mouth, searching for teeth. It licks at his hand and he sees small dagger-like teeth. He hums. "Might be able to eat some meat. If it's thin enough."

"Would bacon work?" Candy pipes up, putting away her forks.

"Yeah, probably." He scratches the basilisk behind an ear, who trills happily. It then rests a head in his lap, eyes closing.

"Want me to get some?" Grenda grins.

"Ah." He blinks, somewhat thrown by their willingness to help and quickness of thought. "Yeah, that would help. Thank you."

"Alright! I'll run to the Diner. Candy, you go home and grab a heat lamp or something! Who knows if that thing is cold-blooded or not."

"On it!" They both run out of the room.

Dipper blinks again, settling next to the seemingly slumbering beast. "Huh. You're friends are, uh, rather nice, Mabel."

"Heheh. Yup. They're really great, aren't they?" Mabel sits down next to him.

"Yeah, they are." He grins lightly, trying to calm the odd mix of panic and excitement bubbling with him by absently stroking along the basilisk's side. "It's kinda weird that they're alright with this stuff, but I guess, since they live here, it's somewhat different."

"Yeah...Though there is something a bit odd with Candy. Ever heard of...Augh, what were they called? They're like, tiny lizards with fins on their faces?" She huffs, tapping her lip.

"Erm.." Dipper shifts, frowning. "Oh!" His face lights up. "Axolotls! They're like... Lizard fish amphibians."

"Yeah! Those!" She nods, grinning, before tapping her lip. "Uhh...We were going near the forest when we saw one in the road. And Candy just went ballistic; she was trying to yank us backwards, screaming how they're poisonous."

Dipper raises a brow. "Um. They're not. As far as I know. And they're also really rare in the US or something."

"Really? Because they were crawling all over the town dump." Mabel blinks, looking confused.

"That's... really strange." He absently rubs his chin as he think over the possible meanings of this.

"..Yeah...Not to mention, supposedly there's someone...or thing..living in the Dump." She nods at her own words, as if trying to clarify to herself that the incident happened.

Dipper stares at her for a moment. He had been so caught up in all the craziness he'd been involved with - Gideon, the concussion, Bill, the ghost - that he hadn't really thought of what Mabel was doing with her time. He guiltily bit his lip. "What exactly happened?"

"Candy stayed back while me and Grenda tried sneaking in. I had accidentally sprained my ankle after taking a fall, and that alerted this thing. I think it was a man, but he was covered head to toe in those lizards. Screamed that he was gonna gut me." She shrugs. "I had just gotten back when you had stumbled out of the woods."

Dipper's body tenses, back ramrod straight. "I... You didn't say anything about this before." He swallows and clenches his fists. "Someone tried to..."

She looks a bit troubled. "Kill me? I guess so. I couldn't know for sure because Candy had grabbed a log or something and smacked him across the face with it. He ran off after that." She doesn't notice his stiff position.

He bites his lip again. Shouldn't he have noticed this? Noticed her ankle, at the very least? His concussion couldn't have blinded him that much. He... he couldn't let something like that happen again. But he can't bring her with him on adventures either. Maybe, just maybe, he could ask Bill for a favor. If, as the all-seeing eye, he truly could see everything....

He decides to shelve the idea before his silence stretches too much. "That's... That's good, I suppose. You didn't get too hurt. Could have been worse."

"Yeah, I could've gotten eaten." Was Mabel's blatant response, facing her bed and checking over a few stuffed animals to make sure they weren't chewed.

"I... I'm sorry, I - I should've - shouldn't have been going - I mean, I shouldnt have been ignoring you. All this crazy stuff with Bill got me so excited I forgot about you. I..." He trails off, carding a hand through his hair and standing.

"...Are you ok?" She watches him, staring with a slightly confused expression.

"Ah." He shifts. Is he overreacting? He probably is, isn't he? "Yeah, I think it's just been rather stressful. Gideon and the ghost... I don't want that happening to you. But it nearly did, and..." He trails off, shrugging, uncertain of what to say.

Mabel stares, then laughs slightly. "Dipper, you don't need to apologize. It's fine."

He allows a smile to grace his lips. "Yeah. You're probably right." Grunkle Stan was probably right also: he needs to sleep more; he isn't thinking straight.

"Are you ok? Do you need anything?" She turns to face him again, looking him over critically.

"No, no, I'm good." Dipper waves dismissively and grins. "We should probably handle everything with the basilisk first."

She turns to look at it only to blink. "Aaand it's gone."

"What!?" He turns. "I - I looked away for a minute-" His words cut off as he sprints out of the room.

"How do we find it?!" She rushes out after him.

"Um, well..." Dipper takes the stairs two at a time. "It can't hide all too well, right? It's the same size as I am. And blind."

"...Then why is there a big hole in the wall?" A medium-sized hole was indeed melted into the wood just a few feet away.

"Oh no." He hurries over. "Where does this go?"

"...Uhh...No idea." She shrugs.

Dipper frowns, then retrieves his flashlight and shines it into the hole. He immediately moved to crawl in after the darn thing. Mabel then grabs him by the shirt and pulls him back slightly. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the hell are you doing?!"

He huffs, gesturing toward the hole. "I'm going after it. What else would I be doing?"

"Uhh, to another room? You're more likely to get stuck in the wall, which means I'll have to get Stan, which means the basilisk will get found out and possibly killed." She taps his temple. "Has your brain been squeezed out of your ear or something?"

He opens his mouth, snaps it shut, and sighs heavily. "I need more coffee." A quick glance down the hall reveals only two doors that could be hiding the desired room. "I don't think we've been in these rooms before."

"I'll go in one, you go in the other?" She walks to the door nearest to them.

He jogs to the other, hand hovering over the doorknob. "Good with me."

"..3...2...1...NOW!" Both of them swing their doors open.

The doors both open, one opening into a cluttered room with a bed, desk, and miscellaneous items strewn about the floor. The other opens into a mostly open room with an large sofa, multiple clocks, and several glass paperweights in the shape of a pyramid. Several boxes are stacked into one of the corners, and a stack of papers are spread across a worn coffee table. Mabel raises a brow, walking into her room, which was the one with the bed in it. She directs her attention to the floor, kneeling for a better look. "What the hell?"

Some post-it notes litter the floor, as well as a variety of textbooks and familiar shoes. All the texts are on quantum physics, various pseudo-sciences, and outdated theories on the universe. Only some of the post-its are legible. Mabel picks up a few, reading them closely. "..Hey, Dipper? I think I stumbled into a conspiracy nut's bedroom."

"This room is pretty cl- oh, c'mon! Don't eat paper! Found the basilisk, Mabel!" There's a rustling, then a few clanks. "No! Toilet paper is - don't bite that, you'll break your teeth! Bad!"

Mabel, after pocketing as many notes as she can, quickly gets to her feet and zips into the other room.  
Dipper is grappling with some kind of metal rod, the basilisk jerking its head and pulling at his grip. She sighs, shaking her head a bit, before snapping her fingers and whistling sharply. "Drop it!"

The basilisk perks, letting the metal slip from it's mouth. Dipper stumbles slightly from the weight of it, brow raised as the basilisk quirks its head.

"Good boy! Er, girl! Whatever you are!" She grins, cooing now, getting on her knees again. It keens, stumbling past Dipper toward her. It butts against her outstretched hand, gently nipping a finger and making a cautious purring noise.

"Heheh. It likes me." She pets behind its ears, grinning.

Dipper grins lightly, holding the rod loosely. The basilisk yips, letting itself fall to the ground in front of Mabel. "It does seem to trust you."

"Heh. Yeah." She then looks up, eyes darting around the room before spotting a box seemingly filled with papers; they were scattered on the floor as well. "What is all of this?"  
  
"Ah. I dunno. It kinda seems like an old study. There's a pretty thick layer of dust on everything, so I don't think anyone's used it for a while. Some of it... reminds me of Ford, to be honest." He wanders over to the desk, picking up a paper. "Whoa. Wait. Yeah, this is - this looks like his handwriting."

"What?" Mabel blinks before standing up and walking over to his side. Her eyes narrow a bit, not able to see because of the dim lighting. "What does it say?"

"Um..." He tilts the page back and forth, looking up as the basilisk bumps into his leg. He gently pets its head. "It's sloppier than most of his work, but it's definitely his. There's something about... Oh, here's Journal 2, and something about a school. Ah.. 'another place' something something... This is absolutely atrocious. Um... Wait. What? 'Hide Journal One?'" He brings the paper closer to his face. "Yeah. Something something 'figuring out where to hide Journal One... it should be taken - far away from Gravity Falls.'"

Mabel furrows her brow, confused. "Wait...Hide them? But, he has all of them in his house."

"He must have changed his mind," Dipper mumbles absently. Then he shakes his head. "This is... He was panicking when he wrote this. Either that or just ten cups of coffee and sugar paranoid. Why would he want to hide them is what I want to know. And what changed his mind?" He quickly scans the rest of the page. "The rest of this is just him planning to find someone to help him. There's something about an assistant, but I can't read much of the sentence."

Mabel furrows her brow slightly, then looks down at the metal rod still clutched loosely in one of Dipper's hands. She takes it, looking it over quizzically. "Hmm...Thats weird. The basilisk had this in its mouth, right?"

"Yeah. It was just kinda licking it for some reason." He again pets the basilisk, who nips his fingers.

"...Dipper, it's not melted. Like, at all. No teeth marks, no dents, no flimsiness. Nothing...And last time I checked..." She looks it over again, then suddenly flips it over so the base of the rod is facing her. It was severely different from the rest of the metal, seeing as it had a definite shape. It looked like a weird alchemical design, with swirls and spirals held in quite the precise pattern. The metal was pitch black, not at all silver like the rest of the rod, and carried a slight scent of smoke.

"...Acid doesn't leave scorch marks."


	14. The Constructs (and a bit more)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep the comments coming! It's gonna get even crazier from here!

Bill sighs heavily as he (finally) exits the dream Gideon had conjured up in an effort to learn about the last trial, wiping at his bricks and sides as if he had been dirtied, and in some way, he had. He'll never seem to be able to rid himself of that stupid albino pest.  
At the very least, the grimy little kid wasn't in his vicinity, which allotted him time to actually think. He had to bring up the next trial very carefully with Pine Tree. One wrong move, one misstep after the last incident, and everything could be gone. He couldn't allow that to happen.

Speaking of, he had to check if he was asleep yet; best to go over the trial with him too. He glides along for a moment, peering into corners and crevices until he spots the elaborate dreamscape. He hums to himself, seeing as how it's still stuck as some weird mansion thing. He had to look into that later. Whatever, As long as the kid was asleep.

With a little bounce, Bill entered Dipper's dream, popping into the monochrome hallways with an almost eerie sense of glee. Now, where was his prodigy?

Last time, he had found the boy staring through one of the upper floor's windows. Thankfully, the dreaded void had since left the vicinity; he didn't have to worry about the boy losing himself this time. He begins to float around, peeking around corners, opening doors, and getting more frustrated as each second passes. Who knows how long this dream will last? He needs to find the kid now!

Turning another corner, he runs smack into someone who had obviously been running rather quickly. The two tumble forward onto the carpeted floor. The person scrambles up, apologizing profusely before fully recognizing the triangle. "A-ah... B-Bill?"

Bill practically has to backpedal just to make sure this sudden being didn't accidentally stumble into his metaphysical body, eye going wide as he recognizes chestnut hair and that familiar voice. "Pine Tree?"

"Ah...." He trails off, rubbing at his forehead. "Yes? What's up?"

"Oh, good! I was looking everywhere for you, kid! Geez, I really need to make a map of this place; even the actual Northwest mansion isn't this complicated! Heheheh!" Bill grins, helping the kid up to his feet.

"Heh. Heheh. Yeah, I, uh, I was just looking around myself. It's, uh, got a few surprises, surely." He offers a small grin.

Oh, that got Bill's attention. He raises a brow, looking curious. "Surprises, eh? Like what?"

"Oh, um, it's probably nothing. Just, uh, a few traps here and there. And lots of locked doors." He shifts, looking uncomfortable.

The demon is quiet for a moment, and his eye narrows slightly, concerned. "You ok, kid? You're acting kinda funny."

"Uh, no. I mean, I'm fine. Just not feeling the best? Maybe we can make a rain date on this, uh, chat?" He backs away a little, twiddling his thumbs.

Bill couldn't help but blink in surprise at how the kid was seemingly brushing him off yet again, and actually narrowed his eye more, feeling a odd suspicion tingle at his mind. He floats closer to the child. "You already did the last time I was here."

His eyes go wide as he freezes. "Ah, well... Right, um, I forgot about that. A lot's been going on..."

The demon suddenly grabs him by the throat, lifting him up in the air, eye turning red with rage. "WHERE. IS. PINE TREE?"

"I - I don't know!" He scrabbles at the demon's arm, wincing at the talons.

Bill growls, pupil thinning as his claws dig in harder, slightly piercing the skin. "WHAT ARE YOU?! SOME KIND OF MIND LEECH? A PARASITE? AN AGENT?! TELL ME!"

The imposter gasps, grabbing at Bill's fingers desperately. "I-I'm his Construct! Dipper made me, I'm his Curiosity!"

Instantly, Bill's rage is replaced by utter confusion, and his grip slackens, body returning to normal. "..A...A what?"

The Construct falls to the ground, quickly checking himself over. "Dipper likes to compartmentalize his being. Makes things more organized."

"...I...Pardon? He does what?" Bill blinks, an utterly dumbfounded look on his face. He had never seen this before, hell, he didn't even think anyone was capable of something like this.

"He compartmentalizes himself." Curiosity stands, brushing himself off and watching Bill closely.

"...I...Ok, let me get this straight. You're saying that somehow, a gods damned twelve year old kid, is able to take the sections of his mind, give them sentience, personify them, and also give them metaphysically tangible bodies?" Bill rubs at his upper sides, starting to feel a headache coming on, as well as a craving for a good margarita.

"Yes." He relaxes slightly, deciding to walk around the demon with an interested look on his face.   
Bill says nothing, just grumbling festertongues under his breath, covering his eye with his hands as he attempts to regain his composure. Things just got a lot more complicated, and he wasn't exactly happy about it.

"So... Are you made of light? Or is it something else?"

"Energy. I'm made of energy." Bill sighs, letting his hands drop. Whatever. It was best to accept it now and badger Dipper later.

"So... Would my hand go through your body? Can you control that? Would it be painful?"

Bill couldn't help but smile slightly; these questions were starting to get amusing. "Heh. Yes, yes, and no."

"Huh." He tilts his head. "I wonder if I could do that. I'll have to ask Dipper. Or maybe Science. He's pretty knowledgeable about this stuff."

"Oh sweet 79 Hells, he personified man made concepts too?" He facepalms, groaning slightly.

"Well, it's more like the science he knows. It's like he made a bunch of boxes - Science, Logic, Curiosity, etc. - and then filled it with everything he knows about the topic."

"...How many of you...guys...does he have in this place? Seriously, I'm kind of losing it over here." He huffs almost angrily, starting to get slightly fed up with not knowing things.

"There's... a lot. I don't know the exact number."

His eye twitches a little. "Booze. I must have booze." He snaps his fingers to spawn a margarita and chugs it in one go.

"Your eye just turned into a mouth."

"Yeah, it does that sometimes." Bill grumbles before refilling the glass and downing it again. Maybe he can handle this better if he was buzzed.

".. Getting drunk is a great way to get Dipper on your side," Curiosity snarks. He crosses his arms and huffs.

Bill shoots him a glare. "First off, I'm a trillion years old. I do what I want. Second, I'm sure judging people because of a few habits is a "great way" too. Third, give me a god damn break; I've never seen shit like you before, ergo, I'm a bit stressed at the moment." He turns around, back to Curiosity, downing his drink once more.

He sighs. "No, I'm serious. He doesn't like alcohol. I wouldn't let him see you drinking that."

Bill pauses at this, and sighs, letting the margarita fade from existence. He folds his arms, grumbling; he doesn't even feel slightly drunk. Dammit. "Fine."

Curiosity relaxes a bit. "I... Have to get going now. A few of us are trying to map out this place."

Yeah, yeah. Don't let me waste anymore of your time." Bill huffs, floating away. Let's hope he didn't run into anymore of those guys.

Curiosity scurries down one of the halls, before coming back. "Um. I can bring you to Dipper. I guess."

Bill freezes in place, before sighing. There's a cracking sound as his body briefly segments itself into bricks, which flip around to face the Construct, and realign. "Fine." He floats back over, arms folded.

Curiosity hurries back down the hall, fiddling with his fingers as they walk... and float, in Bill's case. The demon decides to break the silence after a minute. "So, do all of you know who I am?"

"Um. Yeah, pretty much." He shrugs. "Everyone knows the basics, I guess."

Bill hums slightly to himself, figuring that would be accurate. The real question is though, how do they feel about him? He adjusts his bow tie despite the fact it's already straight, going quiet for the moment.

Curiosity leads him up a flight of stairs, taking the steps two at a time. "Dipper doesn't like this place."

Bill blinks at that, raising a brow. "Is it because of the run-in with that Lumberjack Ghost?"

"I think it has something to do with that, yes."

Bill hums to himself, tapping a finger on the skin underneath his eye in thought. Very interesting.

"Well, he should be in here." Curiosity stops at a normal-looking door. Bill glances at the door before tipping his hat at the Construct, mostly out of habit. Whatever, it's best to be respectful to these things anyway. After a moment, he slips through the door and into the room.

Dipper is bent over a desk, flipping through several pages of work. Bill grins to himself quietly, slowly sneaking up right behind the kid until his eye is floating an inch away from his head. "...Boo."

Pens and paper go flying, Dipper jumping and sending his chair toppling backward. "Whoa there!" Bill laughs, deftly catching the chair, and with it, Dipper, leaning over the kid so his eye was above his face. He smirks teasingly. "Gee, did I scare you?"

Dipper flushes, hands tightening on the arms of the chair. "I - I didn't think you'd be here today. Tonight."

"Well, I thought I'd stop by and surprise you. Gotta say though, I wasn't expecting to run into your little mind look-alikes out there." His grin turns more...proud?

The flush spreads slightly and he shrugs. "I like to keep things organized."

Bill laughs again and pushes the chair back up again, suddenly sitting on the desk in front of the kid, now smaller, to the point where Dipper could hold him in one hand. He beams, stretching a hand up to poke the boy in the nose. "I mean, come on! That whole Construct thing; I've never seen anything like it!"

He laughs, but he sounds like he doesn't entirely believe him. "Really? I just thought it made sense."

Bill rolls his eye playfully, floating up so he can look at Dipper eye to eye(s). "I'm not lying, Pine Tree. I've never seen someone pulling an idea like this off, and especially not so smoothly! I didn't even realize one of them wasn't you until they started stuttering and squirming. It was really weird." He chuckles, summoning his cane to twirl it.

"Heh. Thanks, I guess." He rubs the back of his neck. "So, um..."

Bill blinks, frowning slightly. "...Is there something you want to talk about?"

"Erm... No. I'm looking into something, but it's barely enough to ask questions." He scratches his forehead. "Maybe some other time. I was actually thinking you had something you wanted to talk about."

Bill nods, and grins yet again, stretching an arm to tap Dipper's forehead. "Right you are, kiddo! Listen up, because the next trial starts in two days! And I'm giving you the rules now!"

"Two days?" He shifts, then nods. "Alright. What's it about?"

Bill's grin widens, and he snaps his fingers. The floor underneath them slowly dissolves, revealing a disturbingly accurate replica of Gravity Falls below. Gravity only seems to work for just a few seconds before they suddenly plummet. Dipper's stomach flip-flops and he can't hold back the sudden scream that tears through his throat.  
The demon snickers, simply grabbing Dipper's vest, the both of them slowly ebbing to a stop in mid-air. "Still the Mindscape, kiddo."

He takes a few deep breaths. "Right. Right. Ah. Heh. Heheh." He grins back at Bill.

The triangle slowly lets go of the vest, and when the boy doesn't drop, he grabs him by the wrist, dangerously close to the hand, to pull him through the air. His grin was wide, infectious even. "You are going to love this."

Dipper yelps at the slight tug, but then grins; Bill sounded genuinely excited. "Any hints before we get there?"

Bill hums in consideration before looking back at Dipper with a sly smirk. "You believe in aliens, kid?"

His eyes widen, and then a wide grin lights up his face. "You're kidding."

"Do I look like a lier to you?" Bill chirps back, smirking playfully, so utterly amused by how happy the kid had gotten with just those few words. It was actually kind of adorable.

"Are there alien remains we have to recover? Or some kind of alien technology that's started to malfunction?"

"Heheh. You'll see, Pine Tree, don't you worry." He playfully squeezes Dipper's wrist. His grin, if possible, widens, an excited burst of energy coursing through his body. He bites his lips, trying to hold back a squeal.

Soon, they come to a stop over a rather oddly shaped hill. Bill lets go of Dipper's wrist, only to stretch out his arms, folding his legs into a meditative pose, while his index finger and thumb on each hand meet to form a small circle, his other fingers curled outward. He's silent for a moment, only for his eye to flash blue, and the ground starts to shake, to rumble, to roar. It isn't long before a monumental alien craft slowly rises up from the ground, casting a huge explosion of rock, dust, and dirt upward.

Dipper gasps, stars in his eyes as he gapes at the massive structure. The dust settles slowly, revealing a saucer-shaped, metallic ship. One side - the front, some part of his mind guesses - has sustained enough damage to have scarred the ship, but not enough to bare its innards to the elements. Bill chuckles, patting the kid on the head before turning to the craft. "This is your mission, kid. See, your Uncle Stanford discovered this thing years ago, gutted it like a fish. But there was one safe he could never bust open. That's the last trial, kiddo; break open the final safe and retrieve what's inside."

He almost giggles. "Oh, this is going to be so fun! And just retrieve the contents of the safe? Is there anything else I should know?

The demon grins wider at the obvious excitement on Dipper's face, chuckling. "Yup, just get the contents of the safe, and you'll be my new pupil! I know you can do it, kid. I believe in you!"

Dipper's grin was turning a little more shy. "Heheh. Thanks, Bill."

"No problem, kid." He ruffles his hair playfully, grin becoming much more warm. Dipper just chuckles, batting the hand away.

The demon snickers, finally letting the illusion fall away, the room of the mansion materializing back into view. Bill taps on Dipper's forehead to get his attention. "Hey! I just got an idea; you should introduce me to more of your mind minions! After all, isn't it important to make a good first impression?"

"Oh, um. Yeah, sure. They're kinda all over the place right now, I think." He sits down on the bed in the center of the room, sinking slightly into the purple blankets.

Bill laughs a bit, shrinking to the size of a house cat and standing on the boy's shoulder, somehow quite lightweight. "Come on, we're burning moonlight!"

"Oh, right!" He quickly stands and heads out of the room, glancing down the halls before picking a random direction.

...As Dipper sleeps soundly in his bed, the moon piercing through the glass window, crickets singing into the fragile night sky, one person still does not find rest. Her mind was addled with the discovery made just a few hours previous, and it was more nerve-wracking then she was used to. She couldn't help herself. She had to find out.

The Journal sat on her bed, open, Mabel holding a flashlight securely in a hand as she flipped quietly, yet urgently, through the book. There just had to be something here on runes! There had to!

Various creatures of all shapes and sizes stared back her. Some had wings, others had scales, and still others had fur. A few had talons or ridiculous fangs, which would have concerned her a bit if she hadn't been so focused. Coded messages and weird symbols on every other page mocked her progress.

She suddenly freezes, stopping on one particular page that caught her eye. Runes. Of course! That had to be it! She quickly hoists the weird metal rod up to the light, looking it over, then glances back at the page. Not this one, not this, no, nope, nada-There! That! That one was it!

Mabel felt her knuckles crack from how fast her fists clenched, eyes narrowing against the dim lighting as she slowly read the description.

"To seal, compress, bind, combine. USE CAREFULLY!"

Mabel feels a weight lift off her chest, but at the same time, a twisting to her heart in what can only be described as 'bittersweet'. She had an answer...and yet none. She gazes at the metal rod, almost sadly, setting it down gently in an effort to not wake Dipper up. She tucks herself back under the covers as she shuts off the flashlight, wishing this odd ache in her chest would go away. She sighs heavily, gazing up at the moon through the window, before her eyes slowly drift shut.


	15. The Last Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, this is gonna be a doozy! Would really appreciate comments for this one!

Finally. Today was the day.

Today was the day that Dipper went to confront Gideon (hopefully) one last time. The 3rd and final trial. Ford was checking over all of his supplies for the trek, making sure to see if he had equipment for any possible situation. Finding it all satisfactory, he stored said items in a large backpack and slung it over his shoulders, marching out of his house and over to Stan's, knocking on the door. "Dipper! Are you ready?"

The boy, at the table eating breakfast, nearly topples his chair over in his rush to the door, abandoning his bowl of cereal and just barely avoids running into Stan. He throws open the door, staring up at Ford with a wide smile. "Yup!"

The old man grins, reaching down to pat the boy on the head in a proud manner. "Great! So, where are we going exactly?" He tilts his head with an excited, yet confused grin.

Dipper almost giggles, taking Ford's hand and excitedly pulling him down the steps. His expression and demeanor were so similar to Mabel's constant rush that a small spike of uncertainty hit him. "There's a, uh, UFO crash site on the edge of town." Dipper turns around, walking backwards. "Apparently there's some kind of safe we have to get into."

Ford laughs slightly as he's pulled along, only to pause at those last few words. "Have to? What do you mean by that?"

"It's, um..." His smile drops slightly as he steeples his hands. Then he shrugs; Ford's gonna find out somewhere along the trip. "It's part of the trial."

Ford furrows his brow, and frowns for a moment. What did that mean? Was Gideon trying to force Dipper to go through these on tests of pride? Was he taunting Dipper until he agreed? He then sighs, shaking his head, letting it go for the moment. "Hmm. Well, whatever they are, I'm going to make sure you stay safe during."

Dipper nods, turning back around and walking next to him. "Yeah. These things can, uh, get a bit heated." He rubs his neck, which is now only slightly discolored.

Ford sighs, and pats his shoulder in what he hopes is a consoling fashion. "Well, you're safe with me."

He grins, nodding. "Yeah. And this isn't supposed to be all too extreme or anything, so there won't be much danger."

"Heheh. Great." Ford laughs, smiling. It takes a while for them to reach the hill, but when they do, they see Gideon standing at the top. Something about him didn't look right; not only did he have a black eye, and several bruises from Mabel's bat assault, but his visible eye seemed to be bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept for the weeks in between the last trial and this one.

He froze at the sight of both Dipper and Ford, his gaze souring, but he says nothing. Dipper tenses slightly at his glare, gripping his arm and looking aside. He doesn't look scared, per say, more... uncomfortable. Almost as if their last encounter had been nothing more then an awkward argument. Ford merely steps slightly in front of Gideon, pulling out two odd looking guns and handing one to Dipper. "Here. Use this; it'll help you navigate the ship." He tosses one at Gideon rather forcefully, as if trying to smack him in the head.

Dipper watches the exchange, perhaps only because he received his gun more gently. "How, um, do these work?"

Gideon, meanwhile, manages to catch his right before it hits him square in the face, glaring at the man behind his back. Ford says nothing, simply walking over to a large boulder and slowly shoving it out of the way, revealing a large metallic slab. He pulls the casing of the gun back in a cocking motion, points it down at the slab, and then fires. The slab almost instantly pulls back with a huge crunching sound, revealing a pitch black opening underneath.

Dipper almost forgets Gideon, eagerly hurrying up to the hatch. He doesn't quite know how to articulate his awe regarding the space ship, so he settles for a dull, "that's a magnet gun?"

"Heheh. Yup. You might want to avoid pointing it at anyone; they can rip the fillings from a tooth up to 5 feet away." He idly rubs at his jawline, as if remembering a bad memory.

"Heh. Good thing I don't have anything metal in me." He grins a bit.

Gideon clears his throat gruffly, his tone rather impatient. "Can we please get going?"

Dipper huffs, shoulders tensing again. "It might be important to know how to not get yourself killed."

Gideon's eyes seethes with rage, but his face doesn't change. He simply huffs and looks away. Ford glances between the two, then gestures to the ladder within the opening. "Dipper, why don't you go down first?"

Dipper blinks, looking over at Ford before nodding. He approaches the hatch, then leans over, raising a brow. "..Is it a ladder?"

"Yes, actually. It should hold; the material is fairly durable."

Swallowing, he slowly begins to climb down, honestly wishing he had brought along a flashlight or something. Ford follows him after a moment, and finally Gideon. The only sound is that of feet clanking against metal. Ford turns on a flashlight, careful to aim it at the nearby walls to avoid blinding anyone. Dipper's breath caught in his throat the moment those walls were illuminated. The place was beyond huge, the drop below looking like it was over 20 feet, and the thickness of the pillars and columns were bigger then his entire torso. He just can't help but stare at all of it, awed, slightly slack-jawed.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Ford's voice is lowered to a gentle whisper, but is still easily heard by both parties.

"..Yeah...If only I could tell 8 year old me about this...I'm...I'm in an alien ship. I...Oh God." He started smiling, smiling wide, a giddy, ecstatic joy suddenly filling his chest. This was everything he had ever dreamed of.

Ford chuckles, remembering how he had reacted the first time he found this place. "Enjoying yourself?"

Dipper didn't respond, as he had reached the bottom. He was looking around with utter fascination, examining odd grooves and sigils on the walls. "I wish I had a camera right now!"

Ford sets his feet down, keeping his light on the ladder for Gideon but watching Dipper. "You can probably come back with one. Just make sure to tell me, ok?"

Gideon steps down as well, rolling his eye. "There's no point; all of its been cleared out, you're not gonna find anything else."

"They also say that there's no point in exploring science anymore," Ford snarks. "Apparently, everything's been found."

Gideon is slack-jawed for a moment before huffing angrily and folding his arms, looking away again.

Ford turns his flashlight down the corridor. "Now, careful with your steps here. There's a lot of sharp drops."  
  
Gideon almost shoves his way ahead Dipper, walking in a tense, obviously irritated manner. The boy stumbles, but catches himself and follows, them, glancing around at the walls and watching the others through the corner of his eye. "..So, Stanford, any idea where this safe could be?" Gideon is the first one to speak, his arms hugging his sides, as if cold.

"I have a decent idea, yes." He steps over a fallen column, absently glancing around a sort of atrium.

"And where exactly is that? I don't wanna be running into any freaky lab rats in here." The child grumbles, eye darting around almost nervously.

Ford holds back from rolling his eyes, instead waving a hand over a panel on wall to activate the lights. "That's highly unlikely."

Both kids wince at the sudden influx of light, and they blink, starting to look around more clearly now. The floors and walls are a simplistic, seamless metal, untarnished by time. Circular, almost fluid patterns trace throughout the metal, only occasionally broken by thin fissures. In some places, mosses and vines had found their way inside. Some frantic scribbles were written across one of the walls, but it was indecipherable. Maybe it was an alien script.

Dipper's eyes were practically bulging out of his skull, practically bouncing from foot to foot. He looked like he was close to screaming with joy. Ford snickers. "Impressed, Dipper?"

"It's amazing!" The question pops whatever barrier was holding him back, almost physically changing the atmosphere in the room. Dipper hurries toward a nearby wall with a speed and enthusiasm neither Gideon nor Ford had seen before. "Everything - almost everything - is preserved! I mean, it makes sense, seeing as this thing was used for travel in SPACE, but for it to still have maintained most of the seals, for this to even just be here-!" He breaks off, lost and spiraling in wonderment.

Ford was smiling so wide it looked like his cheeks would rip, restraining his urge to laugh. Gideon's eye was twitching. "Yes, yes, very fascinating, NOW CAN WE PLEASE HURRY UP AND GET TO THE GOD DAMN SAFE?!"

Dipper almost visibly flinches, removing his hands from the walls and returning to them with a somewhat disappointed look on his face. The illuminating grin had quickly been wiped from his face. He was again holding his one arm. "Sorry."

Ford stares in utter confusion, and he frowns, brow furrowing. He opens his mouth to speak, but turns around suddenly, hearing an odd beeping noise echoing from a distant corridor, and he quickly takes out his gun. "Oh, shoot! Hold on, uh...I may have forgotten to mention that some security droids may still be active..."

Gideon blinks, then curses, angrily taking out his gun as well. "Fucking hell, old man! Couldn't you have told us earlier?!"

"I'm sure he forgot." Dipper hesitantly cocks his gun, holding it somewhat gingerly. "What kind of security does this alien space ship have exactly?"

Ford was backing up slightly, glaring at the expanse of darkness that shielded the drones from view. "They detect fear; as long as you keep your emotions stable, they can't see you...But unless I shut down their control panel, they'll just keep coming.."

"Uhh... That's not good." Dipper takes a deep breath, tightening his grip around his gun. "Can, um, the magnetic guns, how exactly do they work?"

"Hold back the panel for as long as you need to charge up the blast. Press the side buttons if you want the ray to attract or dispel." Ford shifts for a moment, then points north. "The safe is that way, you two go on ahead while I shut the drones down."

"Ford, we cant-" Dipper yelps a bit as Gideon roughly grabs his arm and starts pulling him down the hall. "Hey, let-"

"You heard the man! We gotta go find the safe! Besides, you really want to get snatched up and dissected by alien robots?!" Gideon was running as fast as he could, eye wide with panic.

Dipper sputters, tripping slightly at the sudden pace. "I-I - I don't want him to be snatched up and dissected by alien robots! What if he can't do what he needs to do?!"

"He's gone up against way worse then this! He'll be fine! Now shut up and run!" Gideon suddenly hisses in pain as his arm suddenly collides with a blunt object, making him stumble, and the boy suddenly screamed as the floor disappeared under his feet. He scrambled for the nearest purchase, which, unfortunately, just happened to be Dipper. The boy yelps, stumbles forward, trying to stabilize himself, only to go cartwheeling forward.

Both of them were falling through the air at an alarmingly fast speed, and Gideon was flailing, trying his damnedest to find the magnet gun, nearly as blind as a bat, fear and panic dawning upon his face. "OH SHIT, OH SHIT!!"

Dipper reaches for him, somehow grasping the back of his collar. He feels a fist connect with his chin and grunts, randomly pointing his gun and firing. Gideon practically chokes when they suddenly come to a dead stop, gagging rather loudly as he feels his air flow get cut off for a few moments. He then peels the collar of his shirt away from his throat, gasping for breath. "..Ah...Shit.."

Dipper shifts, tightly gripping the hilt of the gun. "Can you grab onto me? My hand is slipping."

"Hold on..Jesus, did you really have to grab my throat?" Gideon grumbles, and manages to wrap an arm around his side. "Fucking bastard didn't warn us about sudden drops."

"He actually did." He shifts his hold, then slowly fiddles with the dial on the gun. They start to slide down the wall.

"Shut up." The moment Gideon's foot hits a solid surface, he wrenches himself away from Dipper, looking disgusted as he starts wiping at his suit. "Blegh...Never speak of that again."

"Gladly." He turns off the gun, glancing around. "Well... where do we go now? I think there might be a breeze coming from this direction..."

Gideon huffs, rolling his eyes. "Well, it's not like we can go back the way we came."

"Well, we technically can, but it's probably not a good idea." Dipper starts walking in the direction the breeze is blowing from. Gideon follows, grumbling obscenities to himself. After all, getting trapped inside a desolate alien ship with his worst enemy was not the plan for today.

"I think I can see a light up ahead." Dipper cautiously steps forward, worried about more drops. What his foot meets instead happens to feel more like steps. A staircase?

"I think I found a staircase." He moves over until he finds the wall. "There's a handrail over here."

"A staircase? I'll be damned." Gideon grips onto the handrail with one hand, starting to walk up toward the light. He narrows his eyes upon seeing it. "...That could be a bad sign. Unless its a potential way out."

"I think Ford hit a switch somewhere near the entrance. It could have been something for the main lights." He moves ahead of Gideon.

Eventually, the two reach a rather heavily fortified door, where the light is shining on the other side. It appeared to have a keypad in place of a knob. Gideon looks it over, humming for a moment. "Hmmm..." He then starts to fiddle with his gun.

"Good idea." Dipper glances over his own, but decides that two guns blasting the door might be a bit overkill. "We should probably stand out of the way of the door when it comes."

"Nah, it opens inward. We'll be fine." He cocks the gun, backing up slightly and stepping down on the last two steps before firing.

Dipper quickly sidesteps, watching as the panel short circuits and the door swings open. The sound echoes a little before dying away. "...I meant in case there was something inside, like a trap." Dipper frowns at him.

"Well, if there was, it's gone now." Gideon grins haughtily as he tucks the gun back into his suit. He then gestures to the now open door. "After you."

Dipper rolls his eyes, peering inside the room. As he crosses the threshold, a soft green light fills the room. Several thin, clear plates of glass are scattered over a desk, next to which is a small, seamless box. Skeletal remains linger inside some kind of tube. Gideon looks inside too, and hums to himself. "..Some kind of storage, maybe?"

"No. If it was, there would have been more shelving or racks." He slowly walks inside, biting his lip before taking a few steps toward the tube. "It... looks like it was trying to get out of this. There's lights and stuff in here too, but they aren't on. Think it could have been in here when the ship crashed?"

Gideon's eyes swivel over to the table, then to the skeleton, then to the door. "...I think this may have been a private room. That tube was probably for stasis during long trips...And those items must be its belongings.." He slowly walks over to the box, picking it up.

It's lighter than it looks, and roughly the size of his torso. He can't see any impressions on it, which is a bit different compared to the rest of the ship. Dipper walks over, frowning. "That looks suspiciously disinteresting." He looks at Gideon meaningfully.

Gideon meets Dipper's eyes, and there's a long pause. He then shoves Dipper to the side and goes sprinting down the staircase.

He stumbles and hits the desk, belatedly shouting, "Hey!" He hurries after him, taking the stairs two at a time.

"Don't try and stop me, boy! This safe is mine! The town is mine! The status of pupil is MINE!" His eyes glower with anger as he turns his head to glare at Dipper, still running down the steps.

"You aren't the one to decide that!" He stumbles slightly, righting himself before hurrying after him. "And you're going to fall into some hole!"

"I got my gun, idiot! In fact...Why don't you just get away from me?!" He whips out the magnet gun, and starts firing behind him, gritting his teeth hard. Dipper rolls to the side as several cylinders attached to the ceiling come speeding at him. He hurriedly aims at Gideon, firing only when he has a clear shot at the box.

Gideon screams when the box is suddenly wrenched right out of his hands, cocking the gun quickly and firing back. "OH NO YOU DON'T!"

The safe is inches away from him before it sudden yanks back, stuttering between the two of them. Their guns vibrate, the safe spinning forward, backward, left, right, diagonally. A sudden vibrant light explodes from the box, quickly dulling down to display intricate carvings spiraling across its sides. It jerks, straightening, their guns and the lights stuttering to a stop. The box thuds onto the ground, an unnatural silence permeating the air. It continues to faintly glow from the newly found carvings.

There's a huge pause, before Gideon is sprinting toward the box as fast as he can. "It's mine! IT'S MINE!"

"Can you please just THINK for once in your life!" Dipper marches forward, watching as Gideon tries to pick up the box again. He huffs, trying different grips, but the thing refuses to budge.

Gideon growls in frustration, tugging and yanking at the box as hard as he can. "WHY AIN'T THIS THING WORKING?!"

Dipper frowns. "What? Let me try?" He kneels and tries pushing the safe. It just glows warmly and emits a gentle hum.

Gideon is red in the face, looking borderline pissed. He suddenly grabs Dipper by the arm, painfully. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU BASTARD! NOW NONE OF US CAN WIN THE TRIAL! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THE EYE WILL DO WHEN HE FINDS OUT?!!"

Dipper cringes, pulling his arm back. "It's probably just a security measure! We just need to get it open." Gideon growls, turning around so his back was to the boy. He was seething, practically seeing red, but said nothing.

Dipper rubs his arm, then turns toward the box. After some close examination, he made out a set of sixteen circular buttons below a dark oval. Each button seemed to hold a different symbol. "Found where we put in the code."

Gideon turns his head, raising a brow at the symbols, anger momentarily forgotten. "..What in the hell are those?"

"Alien language. I guess they only have twenty six letters? Same as our alphabet. Um. Okay... alright. I guess that makes sense? That's a weird way of reading."

"What? What could YOU have possibly figured out?" Gideon grumbles, rolling his eyes.

Dipper exhales, shaking his head. "I know how to read the language." He pressed a random button until the box buzzed and cleared the input. "Six letters. Should be easy."

Gideon blinks owlishly, shell shocked for a moment. "..How the hell can you read that?!"

"That's... not important." He walks back toward the stairs. "I'll be back."

"Wh-WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" Gideon sputters before grabbing him by the back of his vest.

Dipper stumbles back, taking in measured breath. "I'm going back to where we found this to find out more about whoever it was that lived there. That way, we can find out what the password is."

"...Fine." He lets go, sitting down next to the box with an almost pouty look on his face.

Dipper shakes his head, hurrying up the stairs. Gideon is acting so childishly, and it's actually getting on his nerves this time. Of course, Gideon IS a kid, but he seemed capable of understanding the implications of his actions. He knew what he was doing and what he will do. Begrudgingly, Dipper had to admit that Gideon was intelligent, in that regard. He could almost respect the effort he went to plan everything out.

What he couldn't handle was how easily the kid started yelling and throwing a fit when things don't go as planned. Life is full of curve balls! Nothing ever works perfectly. If he really wanted Bill's approval, he would have learned how to adapt to his surroundings, not freak out every time a single chip was out of place.

Dipper quietly enters the isolated cabin, immediately approaching the desk.

The glass sheets, barely larger than a modern tablet, glow when he touches them. Picking one up, it flickers to life with some kind of field report from some distant planet. He glances behind himself, unsure how exactly to broach the topic of how he understood this code. He himself could only recall vaguely seeing it once or twice during his chats with Bill, and had roughly sketched what he remembered onto a page in his notebook. He hadnt thought of it much, though he did think it looked neat. His first assumption had been that his mind fabricated the symbols as some code he would some day be inspire to jot down; he had a tendency to think of pretty awesome ideas and immediately forget about them because something else came to mind, so the possibility hadn't been all too extreme.

Now? He wasn't entirely sure. Sure, he'd always had weird dreams, but making up a code that happened to be real, and turned out to be an alien language? Yeah. No. That never happened before. That shouldn't even be possible. It isn't possible.

He sighs, shaking his head softly and turning his attention back to the tablet, reading it over. Most of it was about trips to certain planets, some planned, some improvised. There was something about "culling for thatens"  
and "only 18 of 57 specimens were previously used," so apparently the planet was good for future use. Whatever that meant. He picks up another. He hums to himself, a brow raising. This one was titled 'Otherworldly Ally'. Strange.

He scrolls through it, slowly narrowing his eyes. "Yellow being occasionally seen on the ship... First thought to be hallucinations/fabrications of more radical crewmates. Later found to be an extraterrestrial lifeform using a wavelength of light most species cannot perceive as part of its body... Has been communicating with our chief scientists on a certain technology they can't quite explain... Would not give any indication of his name other than how it would be an 'enigma' or 'cipher' for us to someday find out... Has an affinity toward 'bowties.' More research necessary.'

Dipper feels his heart stop in his chest, and he quickly scrambles to grab the nearest tablet, only to scowl in frustration; it was just an illegal cooking recipe for something called Time Punch. He grabs another tablet, only to find nothing. He tries this with every single other holo-film but there's nothing else. He tugs on his hair for a moment, gritting his teeth in an effort to calm down his urge to kick a wall, haphazardly reaching for the tablet only to feel a sharp prick in his finger.

"Ah-!" He pulls his hand sharply, looking down to notice a small bead of blood oozing out from a thin cut on his finger. He blinks in confusion, then his eyes dart up to the tablet. It was made up of a thin, glass-like material, but on the very bottom was a thin metal tube. A tube that had a glowing pointed crystal inside of it, laced with wires and computer chips...

A data port.

He quickly picks up the tablet, heart racing in his chest as he hurriedly stuffs them into his pants pocket. All he had to do was find more of those crystals, and he could learn if his growing suspicions were true. He first had to deal with the safe.

Dipper turns and immediately heads down the stairs, biting his lip hard as a sudden idea sparks in his head. He knew the code. Gideon looks up as he sees the boy tear down the stairs, and scrambles to get out of his way as Dipper skids to a halt. Gideon growls, getting back up to his feet. "Watch it!"

Dipper mumbles an insincere apology, crouching next to the safe and typing in the passcode. Gideon sees this, and his eyes widen. "...How the fuck did you find it so fast?!"

"It was obvious." He didn't see the reason to tell him about the contents of the tablets. If there were more crystals in the safe, he needed to be the one to get them, and informing Gideon would hinder his efforts. Still, he hesitated. Whatever was in this safe, Bill wanted him to see it. He wanted him to know what these records were about. There was something off-putting to have to open it with Gideon standing over his shoulder.

Said munchkin was tapping his foot impatiently on the ground and scowling. "Well? Open it!"

He exhales, pressing the last key. The safe made a louder humming noise, a panel in front of them swinging down and showcasing the contents. Both of them lurch forward to look inside, and their eyes widen. Sitting atop a dull red pillow was a golden necklace, solid, and untouched by time. It had a triangle symbol in it, with a singular eyeball, top hat and tie. Laying next to it were several glass cases, all full of those pink data crystals.

Before Dipper can even move, Gideon suddenly shoves him to the side and scoops up both items in his hands, cackling wildly. "HAHAH! IT'S MINE! I GOT IT! I WON!"

  _No. No, that is wrong. Get your hands off that, that is MINE-_

Dipper lunges at the kid, tackling him to the ground. His hands grabbed onto his lapels, shaking him forcefully. "Give me that!"

Gideon screeches when he's suddenly shoved, momentarily dropping both objects, which skid across the floor. He manages to regain composure and quickly starts to punch Dipper in the face, teeth gritted in rage. "DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, BOY! I'VE WON NOW!"

"You barely did anything to find this!" He pulls his face out of Gideon's reach after the second punch, reeling back one arm and rocketing down on his jaw. "He left this for me, not you! All of this trial nonsense has a second, more important meaning to it and you are BLIND to it! You don't know ANYTHING!" His fist connects with his cheek bone, his brow. He barely thinks about what he's doing, barely notices bruises forming across his knuckles.

Gideon is screaming, and that only succeeds in making his vision slowly turn red, hazy and flicking in and out. Gideon is suddenly on the floor.

_Shut up._

A fist hits his nose. Blood sprays up and hits his face. More screaming.

_SHUT. UP._

Feet stomp and kick hard on his ribcage and stomach, in hopes of silencing that disgusting, piggish squealing voice. Gideon coughs up blood, coughing and sobbing.

_SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTSHUTUPSHUTUP-!_

Grab. Twist. Snap. A sharp wail. More punching. 

_More._

_More!_

_MORE!!_

The next thing he remembers is a pair of arms wrapped around his chest, holding him back from Gideon's cowering form. Someone was obviously trying to talk to him, but he didn't care. Gideon was still moving, still making those NOISES, those horrible, disgusting, revolting noises that needed to be STOPPED-!

"Dipper! DIPPER! CALM DOWN RIGHT NOW!" A thick arm was suddenly wrapped around his neck, and his airflows began to be compressed. He coughed, hands scrabbling against the arm around his neck. His voice whistled as he tried to speak, legs kicking even as they lost strength.

"CALM! DOWN! NOW!" The voice repeated, and the red finally began to fade. Dipper slowly relaxes, vision swimming slightly at the restriction of oxygen. He weakly pulls at Ford's arm.

Ford sighs softly as he relaxes his grip, setting the boy down slowly. He's silent for a few moments, hands on Dipper's shoulders. "....What happened?"

"I..." He fidgets, glancing at Gideon and flinching. His body shakes. "I opened the safe and he stole the contents. I... I just...." Suddenly, he swiftly grabs the golden necklace off of the floor, turning and bolting the other way without another word, ignoring Ford's shout of concern. He...He needed to get away. Get away fast and get back home.

He skids around a corner, up an unfamiliar flight of stairs and climbs over a jagged wall before miraculously finding his way to the ladder and pushing open the hatch. Clean air floods his body, a cool breeze hitting his body. Blood crinkles and dries on his skin and clothes. Blood he doesn't even notice until his shoes touch down on the wooden stairs of Stan's house. He skids to a halt, panting hard, flinching softly when something drips into his eye. He lifts a hand to rub it away and it comes down red.

Shit. He bites his lip, practically running inside and up to the bathroom without stopping in case Stan was hanging around and still awake. Thankfully, after a few tense moments, nothing happened, and he sighs, suddenly feeling drained of energy. He doesn't even bother to grab clothes, and just trudges his way into the bathroom, turning on the water and checking if it was warm. It starts out cold, but slowly warms up. He sighs, sitting on the edge of the tub and running a hand through his hair.

He then winces and pulls his hand away upon feeling something sharp, and sees a small fragment of something stuck in his index finger. He plucks it out carefully, seeing it was...a crystal shard? Does he have glass in his hair?

He quickly stands and hurries to the mirror, looking himself over. He had a few small bruises on his chin, and his neck was a bit red, but there was a trickle of maroon inching down his temple. The light caught on several pink somethings in his hair. Dipper stares, slightly slack-jawed in shock. What? When did he get crystal shards in his head? It makes no-

A sudden memory, blurred and hazy, comes to his head. Of Gideon screaming and smashing the case of data crystals against his skull. He... Had he been so focused on throttling Gideon that he hadn't noticed him smash the data crystals? The idea almost makes him hyperventilate. The crystals were gone. The data was gone. Whatever information he was supposed to find, whatever it was that Bill wanted him to find, was gone.

Feeling his chest suddenly seize and his breathing start to quicken, Dipper hurriedly turns on the shower and plunges his face into the spray, gasping and shuddering as the splash of water knocks him out of the panic attack. He shivers and kneels in front of the tubs, taking deep breaths. First things first: he needs to take care of his wound. He sighs and starts to undress, calmly, trying to ignore the shakiness in his limbs as he shucks down his pants and-

Oh, look at that. He has glass and crystal shards impaled into his thigh. The tip of the crystal seems to have gotten pretty deep, blood running down his leg in slightly thicker rivulets. Well... It didn't hit any major veins or arteries. He would have been dead by now of it had. He glances around for a first aid kit and pulls out a pair of tweezers.

After a long, arduous process, all of the glass and crystals are picked out of his skin and scalp, tossed into a small trashcan sitting near the sink. Dipper sighs, feeling even more tired as he steps inside the shower, hoping to use the water to clean off his wounds a bit. The water has warmed up a bit since he turned it on, and the feeling relaxes some of his muscles. His leg twinges a little as he continues standing. He considers a bath, but decides that he would be able to clean the wounds as well as he'd like.

Dipper barely moves, resting his forehead against the tiled walls, not minding the sting of his cuts as the water washes over them. He looks over his knuckles with dim eyes, noticing how they're quite bruised, and winces. He'd have to patch them up so Mabel doesn't see.

After a couple minutes of quiet contemplation, Dipper lets out a weak, shuddering sob, hands coming up to cover his eyes. His chest was tight, heart constricted and...

Numb. He felt absolutely numb. Even when he forced himself to repeat the red filled memories if his attack on Gideon, he couldn't feel...anything.

And that's what scared him.

 


	16. The Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready...

Mabel was resting on her bed, humming idly as she read a new book she had picked up from the Gravity Falls library, only to blink at the door creaking open. She grins and hops to her feet, eyes wide with glee. "Hey, Dippin-...Dipper?" She couldn't help but stare at the sight of her brother, who was wrapped up in a towel and dripping wet. He was shaking ever so gently, eyes darting to the floor, and skin an almost deathly pale. He looked like he was gonna be sick.

Dipper doesn't respond immediately, choosing instead to grab some of his more comfortable clothes and sit on his bed. He keeps his eyes carefully on his hands the entire time, as if that would stop his trembles.

"..Dipper?" She takes a step toward him, frowning in concern.

"Hey, Mabes." He rubs his cheek, barely wincing as he brushes over one of the few injuries Gideon managed to lay on him.

"..What happened to you? You look awful! Did something bite you?" She snatches a hand to try and locate any visible bite wounds.

"No, I'm... I'm fine." He lets her fuss. "Gideon and I just got into another fight." His other hand clenches, not closing entirely. She notices some crude bandages wrapped around his wrists.

"WHAT?!" She nigh screeches, suddenly looking both concerned and furious. She grabs Dipper by the cheeks, practically shaking him. "WHY WOULD YOU EVEN GO NEAR HIM?! YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS; YOU GET THE SHIT BEATEN OUT OF YOU! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"I-I thought I would be ok! Ford came with me-"

"SO?! I CAME WITH YOU LAST TIME, AND GUESS WHAT HAPPENED! YOU NEARLY GOT CHOKED OUT! AGAIN!" Her eyes suddenly widen and she clasps her hands to her mouth. She backs away immediately, terror frozen in her eyes. Dipper's entire body locks up. He had been trying so hard to ignore it, to dismiss the obvious. If possible, his face pales more, eyes wide and glassy as he stares at the floor. He doesn't move. Doesn't breath, doesn't twitch, doesn't think.

"..D..Dipper? Dipper?" Her voice grows soft, panicky, and she very hesitantly goes to touch him, body pale, fingers trembling. Visions, ever so blurry, came to her mind, only to force them back. This wasn't like last time. It wasn't.

Dipper takes a shaky breath, the movement making Mabel hesitate to touch him. He lowers his head, hands clenching around the bedsheets. "...O-out."

Mabel's breath hitches, and she hurriedly backs away, closing the door behind her and taking a key out, locking it tight. She trembles, shaking, tears steaming down her face. No...No, please. Please don't mess this up now. She takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Everything... everything will be fine.

She slowly stood up, wiping the tears from her face as she began to walk down the stairs. She needed a breather, and needed it badly. So, with a heavy heart, she began to walk along the forest trail, trying to calm her sniffling, and forcing the sobs down. She momentarily wished things weren't like this, wished things hadn't brought her and her brother to this state. Ever since this insanity began, nothing had gone right. She wanted to blame someone - she cringed when Dipper was the first person she thought of - but there really wasn't any single person to blame for....for...for everything.

She sighed softly, only to jump as a small, weak, and rather hoarse squeak echoes into the night. Her eyes go wide as she looks around for the source of the noise, before, slowly, looking downwards, at the road. In the dim half-light of the moon, she can make out a small, lizardy shape on the path ahead. It weakly shimmies toward a small puddle, reiterating its desperate plea.   
Mabel's breath hitches at the sight of pink frills, and hesitates only for a moment. But when the moment passes, she walks toward the axolotl slowly, bending down to pick it up.

It blinks slowly, noticing the hand moving toward it. It squeaks, as if scared, and tries to move away. The small creature flops onto it's back, tail swishing. Mabel frowns a bit, and slowly reaches down to pet it's snout. "Shh...Y-You're-"

She gasps suddenly, stumbling back as a piercing sensation skewered itself through her head. Everything was going white. She was screaming. She feels her face hit the dirt at the same time as her ears pop. Everything goes silent. "...trust..." "... eye..." "DON'T-" Dozens, hundreds, thousands of voices suddenly assail her ears, the chorus raising in volume as the same four words are repeated over and over again. Mabel was screaming even louder, throat burning, lungs gasping for air. Her mind was suddenly filled with flashes of blood, death, the landscape burning, people dying, monsters from the depths of hell. Finally, with one final screaming chorus, the voices fall silent and her vision goes black.

As she slumps against the ground, the crickets and frogs return to their nightly song. The lonely axolotl finally flips back onto it's stomach, nudging Mabel's hand and giving a faint cry. It suddenly turns, flaring its frills outward, and it's eyes begin to glow white. A multitude of axolotls begin to pour out from the forest floor, circling Mabel's unmoving body. In a seeming trance, they wriggle their way under her body lifting her and bracing before returning to the forest.

\--

....Dipper continued to sit motionless for at least four minutes straight. He has heard the click of the lock and winced inwardly. Did Mabel think so lowly of him? Did she really think that would hold him back if he really wanted to get out? Maybe she just wanted to make a final statement before leaving. Maybe she locked the door for Stan. He releases a controlled breath and blindly reaches for his shirt. The least he could do was finish getting dressed. And the remaining droplets dancing across his skin weren't exactly the most pleasing sensation he's ever felt.

He dimly moves to put on his shirt and shorts, doing his best to not stretch his thigh too much, not wanting to rip the wound back open again. He glances out the window, dimly noting how it was now dark out, and catches sight of Ford walking toward his house, hands in his coat pockets. He... might want to talk to the man. After seeing what happened, Ford might... No. He would get suspicious of him. But he would probably want to help hi. Oh God, he wouldn't call his parents, would he?

That last thought practically made his heart stop, and he turned toward the locked door. He didn't care about Mabel's safety measures anymore, he needed to talk to Ford NOW. He scrambles to straighten the rest of his clothes, hurrying to the window to search for a latch. The triangular pane swings outward, but he hesitates, retreats to his bed, and snags the artifact. A sort of rope was laced through the top, so he hung it around his neck and under his shirt before crawling out of the window.

Ford looks over upon the window being opened, blinking in surprise. He doesn't say anything, just watching. Dipper unsteadily makes his way to the edge of the roof, then lowers himself to the side of the building and then to the ground with a dexterity surprising for his young age. He then glances around with a worried look in his eyes before he skitters over to Ford's house. Ford finally speaks when he's close enough, looking uneasy. "...If you're wondering, I took Gideon to the hospital. He should be in there for a few weeks, maybe even a month."

"I..." His voice dies and he looks down, hugging himself. "How bad...?"

"A broken nose, snapped arm, hairline fractures on several ribs, and mild internal bleeding." He rattles them off on his fingers, before realizing what he was doing and cleared his throat. "Uh...Would you like to come inside?"

"Yes, please." His voice is small and timid, nothing at all like the coarse shouting from the crash site.

Ford frowns at that, and sets a hand on the boy's back, coaxing him inside. He shuts the door behind him, lighting a few candles which carried the scent of butterscotch and cinnamon. "...I have some tea, if you want it."

"That would be nice." He quietly takes a seat, gingerly holding one of his legs as if favoring it slightly.

"What kind? I have chamomile, green tea, earl grey.." Ford shifts, as if uncomfortable. He moves to the kitchen and fills up a kettle with water.

"Earl grey, please." Dipper picks at his nails as the man walks into the next room.

Ford starts to prepare the tea silently. A few minutes pass before he turns to Dipper again, shuffling from foot to foot, hands behind his back. "..Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Um... I wanted to give you a better explanation of what happened."

Ford's expression softens a bit, and he walks into the livingroom to sit on another chair, facing Dipper. "..Go on."

The boy takes the mug of tea, simply holding it close. He takes a breath. "Gideon and I came across the Captain's quarters when you went off to deal with the security. There, we found the safe. He..." Dipper shakes his head, wrinkling his nose slightly at the memory. "He just picked it up and ran, screaming about how it was his. And, I mean, I get he wants to win or whatever, but his idea of winning just isn't...." He takes a breath, rubbing his forehead. Obviously, some of his anger toward the runt was still hanging around. "Anyway, he ran off with the safe, and I chased after him. Then he started just firing off his magnet gun at anything that looked loose. I nearly got skewered by a few strips of the ceiling."

Ford is still, eyes shielded behind reflective lenses. He was silent, waiting for Dipper to continue.

Dipper shifts at the look. "I then pulled out my magnet gun to attract the box - it was made of metal - but then Gideon did the same thing. It... I guess it let out some kind of EMP, which might have disrupted the first lock it had? It also short circuited all the lights and everything. And the box started glowing and produced a keypad. I cracked the code, but..."

"..Yes?" Ford's hands were folded together, elbows resting on his knees as he leans forward ever so slightly. Dipper rubs the back of his neck. He wanted to explain about the code, how he knew how to read the alien script, the contents of that one data crystal, but could he trust Ford? He is ultimately going to ask him to not tell his parents, but.... Maybe if he tried to cut Bill out of his explanation....

"...Dipper, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Ford's expression suddenly softens, and he adjusts his glasses so his eyes are visible again.

The boy's shoulders loosen a bit. "It's just..." He couldn't make his argument entirely viable without explaining the trials. "...I think it might sound a bit... crazy if I say everything." He pauses, then nods to himself. "When I opened the safe, there was an artifact and a stack of data crystal. I'm not exactly sure how they work, but they seem to plug into these sorts of tablets and present a display screen. Gideon took all of the safe's contents. I don't know what came over me, I just... I needed them. Gideon just saw it all as some way to win the trial, not anything else."

"....Do you remember what happened next?" Ford raises a brow.

"Erm. Yeah. Bits of it. Its mostly blurry, though. I definitely missed a lot of it. I patched myself up when I got back and I guess he smashed the data crystals over my head."

"...I see. Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?" He sips at his own cup of tea quietly.

"Um." Dipper switches the hand holding his mug. "Are you going to tell my parents?"

Ford blinks a bit, before smiling softly. "No, of course I won't. I wasn't planning to anyway; wouldn't want to make your home life worse."

He blinks, looking up. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"Your sister had to carry a baseball bat with her to make sure you stayed safe back home, yes? That sounds bad enough already. I wouldn't want to imagine how your parents would react if they were told you were prone to...violence. So, think of the whole incident as our little secret." He winks, grinning.

Dipper exhales with a shaky laugh. "Yeah. Thanks."

Ford grins wider...but it slowly begins to drop as he sees a tear roll down the boy's cheek. He sits up in alarm, putting his tea cup down. "Dipper?"

"I - I thought we were going to have to go back." He tries to steady his hands by gripping his mug tighter.

Ford stares for a moment, shell-shocked. He furrows his brow, looking slightly confused. "..You don't want to go back?"

He shakes his head, unable to stop the sudden flow of tears. He hiccups wetly, rubbing his face. Ford walks over, slowly, and carefully hugs the boy close. He says nothing, though questions are rattling in his mind like bells; it was best to make sure Dipper was alright first. The boy curls up against him, letting his mug be taken from his hands. He wanted to tell Ford everything. He desperately, desperately wanted to tell him, but he couldn't bring himself to violate Mabel's trust. Ford, after a minute or two, holds Dipper closer, and slowly stands up. His eyes were intense, slightly dim, as if deep in thought. After a moment, he begins to speak.

"...Speaking of secrets...I've been hiding my own for a while now. And I think it's time to show you."

\--

A dull ache saturates Mabel's body as she shifts, eyes fluttering open. An orange light fills her vision, and she has the distinct feeling of being inside a room. She groans softly, a headache suddenly ramming into her skull like a freight train, causing her vision to rapidly blur, and her nerves to sing with pain. Her eyes squeeze shut, teeth gritting as her hands raise up to rub her temples in hopes of lessening the throbbing. "Augh...Dammit..."

"You'll want to be careful getting up."

At the sound of a voice, Mabel's eyes snap open, and she sits up quickly, body tense with alarm. "What-?! Oh..Oh, fuck.. Regret...Regret so hard.." She immediately slumps back onto the bed, being hit with a wave of sudden dizziness and nausea. There was a brief shuffling noise, and something...slimy, was pressed to her forehead.

Mabel shifts, nose wrinkling in slight disgust at the feeling. "..What is that?"

"Just something to alleviate your headache." She hears a small croak, similar to what she heard before she passed out. "Heheh. Your friend is glad to see you awake."

Mabel cracks an eye open again, hesitantly raising her hand up toward her forehead. It soon touches a snout, which affectionately nuzzles at her fingers. She can't help but smile a bit, despite the utter confusion brewing in her chest. "Er...Thanks? But, uh, how is a lizard going to help with a headache?"

"They aren't just any lizard. They're axolotls." The voice, lilted and gravely with age, drifts a little closer. "Axolotls have some interesting properties."

"...Wait...No one goes anywhere near axolotls around here. Except..." Her eyes widen, blood running cold as it all clicks in her head, and she sits up sharply, head snapping toward the voice. The lizard on her head squeaks sharply, scrambling to not fall over. "...The Dumpster Cannibal..."

A small man stares at her, wide eyed, from his perch on a broke spinny chair. An abnormally large beard trails across his face and down passed his knees. A pair of crooked glasses balanced haphazardly on the bridge of his nose. "...I might live in the Dumpster, but I'm not a cannibal." He turns to his desk, stirring something in a bowl. "You'd be surprised by how much food the people throw out."

\--

Ford walls silently through the forest, his boots making quiet but solid thumps on the soft dirt and grassy ground. He still is holding Dipper in his arms, and despite it being dark out, he never grabbed a flashlight. After a few moments, he stops, turning his head to look down at the boy. "Are you ready to walk now?"

Dipper nods. "Y-yeah. Where are we going again?" He keeps a hand on Ford's sleeve as he gets his feet under him.

"To a place that's quite important. I can't talk about it to you right now. Lets just say...something might be listening." He lets Dipper steady himself, before starting to walk again.

"Listening?" He stays close to Ford, unsure of the path they're following. There's a strange sense of deja vu, like he might have seen these exact trees once before, but he can't place where. The feeling makes him a bit tense. He never liked not knowing things. The moon, auspiciously bright and full, casts light between the overarching branches, just enough for them to make out the uneven forest floor.

"Yes, that's right. It's, to be frank, a big pain in the ass." Ford nods stoically, then looks around. After a moment, he begins to grin. "We're getting close. Can you see it?"

"Uhh..." Dipper hums, glancing around as well. "Hmm.."

Then, like the moon had shifted itself in position just to help out, a bright beam slowly lit up the path ahead.

A path that lead into a deep, dark cave.

\--

Mabel dimly reaches up to help the axolotl stay perched on her head, staring wide eyed at the rather innocent looking old man. She furrows her brow, sudden anger sparking in her gaze, and, rather miraculously given that just a few seconds ago she was too dazed to move, stood up to her full height.

She jabbed an accusatory finger at the man, eyes narrowed in rage. "Wait, then why the hell did you chase me and my friend Grenda that one time?! You were acting like a crazed lunatic, you were covered head to toe in these lizards!" At that, she points up at the one clinging to her hair. "You shouted that you were going to rip my guts out! IF YOU'RE NOT A MAN EATING PSYCHO, THEN WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ABOUT?!"

"Okay, okay." He puts his hands up, looking a little meek. "That was a bit overkill on my part. But I was only tryin' to scare y'all off! Th-the - the townsfolk don't really like me - hence the whole cannibal thing, I guess. And I couldn't have anyone seein' what I was doin'! Those in charge woulda come to chase me into the woods. Never a good place to be."

Mabel stills as her anger falls away to be replaced with confusion. Confusion and a growing sense of unease. "...Those in...charge?"

\--

Dipper absently reaches for the cord around his neck, the artifact shifting warmly against his chest. "What's in the cave?" He... Was this the same cave? It looked like it could be, but... He couldn't be certain.

Ford grins again, holding out his hand toward Dipper, in an offer to take it. "You'll see."

He swallows, taking his hand. His grip tightens as the tell-tale coolness graces the back of his neck, setting his senses on edge. Ford slowly leads Dipper into the cave, where it is so dark, he can't even see his hand near his face. Yet Ford doesn't even break his stride for a moment, easily leading the boy throughout the tunnels and trails of this cave system.

Then Ford stops. Just in front of them is a room, illuminated by a singular lantern, lit from within. A room covered in eyes, and drawings.  
Ford's grin widens and he walks toward the lantern, bending down slightly to brighten up the flame. "Ah, good! I was hoping my message was received! It would just be awkward if I was the only one here." He glances at Dipper, and his grin lessens slightly. "Oh! Don't worry, Dipper! They should be here in just a minute!"

"Who's... 'they?'" He shifts slightly, walking toward Ford and into the room. His hand returns to the cord around his neck.

Just as he says that, the rocks around them begin to shift and tremble, before suddenly being pushed to the side by gloved hands. Ford's grin widens. "They are them."

One by one, cloaked figures begin to climb out of intricate, well-dug tunnels.

\--

The man crosses his arms, looking aside. "This town holds a lot of secrets. Only a few people hold real sway, and most you wouldn't expect."

Mabel blinks, then her eyes narrow, and she folds her arms. "And why exactly should I trust your word? What's your proof? Who are these 'big bad people driving you out of town'? Huh?"

\--

"F-Ford?" Dipper unconsciously shuffles backward a few steps.

The man only grins, and snaps his fingers. Unseen candles suddenly light ablaze, illuminating the room further. He turns to face the boy, hands clasped together. "...Dipper. As I've said before, I have been hiding secrets of my own. But no more. Now, in this moment, you will be....enlightened."

One by one, all of the cloaked figures remove their hoods, and faces come into view. Very familiar faces. Blubs. Durland. Lazy Susan. Tyler. Manly Dan. They were all grinning, all smiling at him in unbridled joy and hospitality.

Ford, slowly, with great suspense, reaches into his turtleneck, and pulls out a golden necklace. A necklace, with a triangle.

\--

The hermit worriedly looks aside, then stands and walks to the far end of the room. He stretches, unpinning a ragged cloth to reveal a bulletin board. Symbols and shapes, with names written underneath, are linked by thin strands of string. Some of the names are unfamiliar - Reginald, Corduroy, Poolcheck - but others... she knows some of them. And they all lead to one person who has been sleeping in the house next door. "Everyone is involved." The man's voice was hard, unwavering as he pointed at the name 'STANFORD PINES'.

" _Everyone."_


	17. The Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, everyone! I had some trouble with my phone, and I had to wait while it got fixed! But here's a new chapter! Hope you like it and leave a comment!

...There was a rather awkward silence in the cavern that persisted for several minutes, Dipper standing there, slack-jawed and unmoving. Several of the townspeople began to shift nervously, and Ford's eyes dart around the room, an uneasy smile on his face as he slowly drops his necklace to his chest. His thumbs start to twiddle. "Uhh...So...What do you think?"

"You... You know about Bill?" Dipper takes a hesitant step toward his uncle. The man never lied to him, never glossed over anything, but he did keep information from him. All this time, could he have come to Ford with all his questions? Did he know about the trials too?

Ford was looking a bit more nervous now, clearing his throat, still smiling. "Well, yes, I do. I have known for the past 30 years, actually..."

"Th-thirty years!?" He stammers. "I - I - all this time, I thought I was alone on knowing about him-" He shakes his head, glancing around at the townspeople. "This is... the entire town. Did... did everyone know about him? About the trials?"

There was silence, then a few sheepishly nodded. Ford sighs after a moment, his face falling. "Look, I know this may seem...overwhelming,but we couldn't just tell you right away. We didn't want to..to scare you or your sister."

"Scare me?" He passes a hand through his hair. "I... I guess that makes sense."

Ford frowns, hands clenching together. "..Well? Are you scared? D...Do you want this?"

"I... No? I'm more confused than anything. I mean, what exactly is this? And why are you all keeping quiet about Bill?"

Ford takes a deep breath and gestures around him. "Well, this cavern is a place of great importance to us; it is filled with paintings drawn by an ancient civilization native to Gravity Falls. This civilization was supposedly visited by Bill many years ago, and with the power of his Infinite Sight, he helped them predict...This." At that, he turns toward the centerpiece of the room, a large wheel split up into 10 sections, each one filled with odd symbols, and Bill was in the middle, floating almost.

Ford stares at the circle, as does all the other townspeople, some starting to grin. "This circle, Dipper, is a prophecy. A prophecy that will one day come to completion right here in this town. Both myself and the rest of us know this, and we are dedicated to help the prophecy come true, no matter the cost."

Dipper moves to his side, frowning slightly. "What exactly is the prophecy?"

Ford blinks, but then smiles sheepishly. "Well...Bill calls it the Day of Salvation. I know, I know, it sounds really corny; I even said that to him when he suggested it, but he wouldn't stop nagging me until I named it that."

He then shakes his head, realizing his rambling. "Uh, anyway, he calls it that because that will be the day he will finally breach into our world. When that happens, he can finally free the town from the barrier that traps us all inside. But the only way for that to happen is to find these symbols. See, the symbols aren't just fancy pictures; they represent the chosen 10 people needed in order to bring about Bill's ascendency into the physical plane."

Dipper's eyes widen. "So if we find the ten people, we can help Bill?"

Ford nods, now starting to grin. "That's right, Dipper. Now, look here. See this?" He's pointing at the picture of a pine tree. "What does that symbol tell you?"

"The pine tree?" He starts to shrug, but stops, blinking. "That's what Bill calls me. Pine Tree. I thought it was because of... my... hat. Okay that's a little unsettling. In a good way. I think."

Ford chuckles, grin widening into a more jovial look. "Exactly, Dipper! You're a part of this prophecy, an essential part of this puzzle! And so am I! Look!" He then points at the hand picture.

"Your hand..." He takes a few steps closer. "That looks like Gideon's star. And Mabel's shooting star is there? And..." Dipper turned to Ford. "Stan's on here."

Ford's grin falls, and he sighs. "Yes. Unfortunately, he doesn't believe in the prophecy, and ergo, he is not welcome here."  
  
"I... I see." He rubs his arm. "Now, Bill, um... What all do you know about him? What do you do here?"

"We know he's the All-Seeing Eye, and that he acts as a sort of guardian of the town. We know he exists in the Mindscape and communes through dreams. And this place is...Well, it's a sort of meeting area for us."

"Okay. What do you do here though."

"We summon Bill here, to which he can use the concentrated magic here to summon us all into the Mindscape. If you don't mind, I'd like to start that now." He starts placing candles in a circle on the ground.

"Um. Sure. Can I help?"

"Of course. Do you have a lighter on you?"

"Would matches work?" He digs a matchbox out of his pocket. "Stores don't sell lighters to minors. Though we can buy blowtorches. Never - it never made sense to me."

Ford chuckles, taking them from the boy and lighting a match. He slowly lights the candles one by one. "Ok. Now, stand back."

Dipper nods and takes a few steps back, still feeling slightly uneasy with everyone else in the room. Ford stands to his full height, his hands clasped together as his eyes suddenly start glowing. He begins to chant in Latin, and slowly, steadily, the flames start turning blue. Instead of fear, Dipper feels some kind of elation. He almost moves forward, wanting to memorize as many words as possible, but decides instead to kneel on the ground. He didn't want to fall over when going into the Mindscape.

All the other townspeople knelt as well, their hands folded as if in prayer. Ford's voice escalated into a full on shout, and suddenly, a full on gale flew through the cave, blowing out the candles and whistling past Dipper's ears. Bill's eye on the wall flew open, and he slowly began to peel himself off of the outline in the circle, his body as black as obsidian, sudden bolts of multicolored lightning sparking off of the entrance point and scorching the ground. All the while Bill's laughter howled through the rushing air, his eye glowing an almost ethereal gold.

Suddenly, with a snap, everything stopped, and Bill spread his arms wide. "Boy oh boy, it is good to see everyone again!" The townspeople erupted in cheers and whistles, and Ford merely smiled, chuckling.

Dipper can't help but gape, eyes wide in wonder and hinted with adoration. A small, ridiculous laugh bubbles up from his throat and a sudden urge to hug the triangle brings him to his feet. It's only his self-consciousness that keeps him from only going to Ford's side.

Bill grins at all of the raging applause, and makes a show of flapping a hand, hamming up the performance. "Oh, oh, you guys are too much! Oh, stop it!" He floats around the crowd, stopping every once in a while to shake an outstretched hand.

"Hey there, Lazy Eye! How are the pies? Bet they're killer!"

"Good ol' Sheriff! How's the husband?"

"Dan my man! Whoo, wow, ok! Got a strong grip there, heh, I can feel my bones breaking!"

Eventually, he circles back to the front of the room, and only then does his eye turn to Dipper and Ford. He smirks at the latter, bringing a hand up to ruffle his hair. "Gotta say, Sixer, that was quite the performance. Really got me on the "enlightened" line."

Ford blushes, looking sheepish and rubbing the back of his head. "Well, heh, I may have been...practicing a little."

Dipper lets a smile stretch across his face. "It definitely seems like you two know each other well."

"Are you kidding me? This doofus was the first human I spoke to in billions of years!" Bill pinches one of Ford's cheeks, to which he politely smacks the hand away.

Unperturbed, the demon then floats over to Dipper, circling him, eyelid half-lowered in a smug smirk. "So, how did it feel to turn Gideon into a red stain on the metal floor?"

It's Dipper's turn to flush. He raises a shoulder in a half-shrug, eyes looking off to the side. "Ah. Well. I'm definitely not sorry. He deserved it."

"HAH! Atta boy!" Bill suddenly pulls him close to his side, knocking off his hat and giving him an affectionate noogie. The townspeople laugh and chuckle, smirking in amusement.

Dipper chuckles weakly, face reddening a little more and hands weakly batting at Bill. "Heh! Bill!"

The demon laughs, and snaps his fingers. In an instant, Dipper was suddenly seated in an intricate, golden throne, covered in blue jewels, floating above the crowd steadily. Bill was suddenly in front of said throne, his expression jovial, but serious. "Everyone, this is quite the day! Not only have we located the symbol of the Pine Tree, but he has managed to go through each and every single trial I've given to him without fail! Lets give him a hand, huh?"

The crowd instantly erupts in claps and whistles, exploding with approval. Dipper shifts, getting comfortable even as he mentally shrugs off the applause. He didn't deserve anything of that. He screwed up most of the challenges,  
barely managed to win the last one. Not to say that he wasn't grateful for the attention. That was something he felt he did deserve.

Bill's expression suddenly darkens into a malicious looking grin, and he chuckles. "Now...As we all know, in order to compete in said trials, one must have a rival to work against. Pine Tree most definitely got one, but one that went too far too many times. You all know him, and lets face it, you all hate him. Isn't that right?" He gestures to the circle behind him, and the one-eyed star lights up in blue.

Instantly the crowd starts to jeer and curse, booing as loud as they could. Bill smirks, and turns to face Dipper, his eye filled with so many horrid, dark, tempting things. "How about we have some fun? A little...revenge, eh?"

Dipper shudders at the thought, one hand tightening on the arm of the throne. He shouldn't. He knew he shouldn't. But... he wanted to. Badly.  
The demon floats closer, his expression shifting into what only could be a mocking pout. "Aww, after everything he's done to you? Really, Pine Tree, he deserves it."

The demon was suddenly inches away from his left ear, voice a droning, deep purr as his claws curl over the boy's shoulders. "You haven't seen his dreams. How he wants to make you cry. Make you scream. In fact...I've even heard him thinking about going after your sister; he was furious when she smashed his amulet...Who knows what would've happened if he wasn't hospitalized.."

His eyes widen, a different kind of desire bubbling beneath his surface. "He WHAT?" The word is whispered, but the venom is clearly evident.

Bill's grin could not have been any more wide as he watched the boy's hesitance dissolve into cold, blackened rage. Lovely. He could only purr harder, his pupil widening ever so slightly. "Heheh. You heard me, Pine Tree. After all...Would I ever lie to you?" The last words were a sickeningly sweet coo, a hand coming up to cup his chin, thumb stroking over his cheek.

"You don't need to." Dipper leans into his palm, eyes sharp. "What do you want me to do?"

"Heh. What I want you to do is sit back..." His body suddenly splits into two, the second copy floating off toward the crowd while the other suddenly maneuvers its way behind Dipper, sitting the boy in his lap. "and just enjoy the show."

Dipper flushes, feeling thin claws settle on his waist. After a moment spent shifting worriedly between Bill's legs, he stills and watches the crowd in front of him. The copy snaps his fingers, and without warning, Gideon was pulled into the Mindscape, trapped in a cage and defenseless. The copy Bill lands in front of said cage, smirking. "Well, Hi there, Gideon! Glad you could make it to the party!"

Dipper's hands clench at his sides,the hand on his side holding him back. Just the sight of the midget poured gasoline on his mounting fire. Gideon stumbles a bit in his cell, momentarily stupefied by the sudden change in scenery. "M-My Eye?" His voice was squeakier than normal, almost hoarse.

"In the living energy, pal. Now, as we both know, the three trials have since concluded, right? And now, on this night, it is time for me to select my newest pupil, right?" Bill leans over the cage, voice sickeningly sweet.

Gideon grins, albeit weakly, some inkling of hope left in his eyes. "Yes, My Eye! Who have you chosen?"

Bill chuckles, crossing his arms. "Buddy, I'm not gonna to lie to you here. It was NEVER going to be you."

He goes quiet, that hope falling from him like shattered glass from a broken mirror. "I... I don't... understand?"

Bill smirks wider, his glee almost palpable. "I was never going to choose you. Not in infinity was I EVER going to make you my pupil. It wasn't going to happen. The trials didn't matter, the scores didn't matter. Nothing mattered. You were just never going to get it."

"But then - why did you make me do all those things!?" He moved closer to Bill, hands reaching out almost beseechingly.

Bill moves back, laughing and grinning maliciously. "Because, that way it would make THIS all the more painful!" Bill suddenly pauses, and his eye narrows, bringing a fist down on the cage with a bang, his form suddenly blood red and eye black as obsidian. "You really think I actually wanted you to be my pupil? Hell, you actually thought that I LIKED YOU?"

Gideon stumbles and hits the metal floor of his cage, pupils blown as he sees the rods above him bend. "My E-Eye-"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT YOU PIGGISH LITTLE SHIT!!" Bill's scream was cracking like thunder, and the cage splinters like cheap wood. Gideon is grabbed in one gigantic hand and lifted into the air, eye to eye with a now murderously angry god. "I WAS NEVER YOUR EYE!! I NEVER WAS AND I NEVER FUCKING WILL BE!! WILL YOU GET THAT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL ALREADY?!"

It's all he can do to nod, his body unnaturally pale. He blinks after a moment, a shattered look falling over him.

"...But you know who will be? The one who deserves to be learning from me?" The copy turns and brings Gideon up toward Dipper till they're face to face. The original Bill purrs, wrapping his arms snugly around Dipper's sides. "Him."

Dipper slowly smirks, covering Bill's hands with his own and leaning back comfortably. Gideon almost whimpers at the sight.

"That's right, Shortstack. Pine Tree here will be my pupil. My new apprentice, who's going to learn all of the secrets of the Universe. Well, more like the Multiverse. You want to know why? Because he isn't a sheep. That's what you are, Gideon. A stupid, lowly sheep that does nothing but follow orders blindly. Pathetic." Bill's eye narrows at the last word, another arm spawning so the claws can pet through Dipper's hair.

"But I... I was just doing what you said." He watched with a glare as Dipper relaxed against the demon.

"And that's exactly it. You just followed them. No questions, no second thoughts, not a damn word from you other then 'ok.' That's not what I want, Shortstack. What I want is thinkers, learners, those that question and plan and think things through. Like Pine Tree here. I want people like him, people who ascend above mediocrity and recognize that the world is theirs for the taking and always will be. People with a higher calling. He recognized the benefits of keeping basilisk around, recognized their importance. And you just went ahead and killed an entire nest without a second thought." Bill was hugging Dipper closer, the arms on his sides now stroking idly up and down.

"But - but they don't have any uses!"

"Really? Well, let me tell you something, Shortstack. Pine Tree here managed to save an egg. Hatched it all by himself, and managed to domesticate it quite easily. Now it subtly patrols the town's borders, looking out for any threats. A nice little guard dog. Isn't that just lovely?" Bill chuckles.

The boy blanches. "I - he - but I destroyed all the eggs! There's no way he could-"

"He caught one while you weren't looking. You know, after you threw him off a cliff." There were loud gasps, and the crowd begins to murmur and shift. Bill's expression darkens. "Of course that isn't the worst thing he's done. Tell them, Pine Tree."

"He gave me a concussion once. From what I remember, he used his amulet to suffocate me, then threw me through a few trees and left me there. Heh. You had to help me get back. Then..." He frowns, rubbing his chin as he lays back a little more. "Hm. At the mansion, he just let the ghost have his way with everyone until I caught it in my mirror. Then he stole the mirror and tried stabbing me with it. That didn't last long."

Ford suddenly goes still, and his eyes are suddenly not visible, glaring daggers at Gideon. "HE TRIED TO WHAT??!" The crowd seems to be angered as well, starting to shout and curse, standing up to their full heights, looking ready to kill.

"Yeah. Not everything from that night was from the ghost." Dipper fiddles with the necklace around his neck. "Oh, and I did get this. He tried to take it from me after I did all the work."

The crowd was now looking extremely angry, glaring at Gideon and seething with hatred. Ford's fingers were starting to spark with purple flames. Bill purrs, smirking as the copy dangles Gideon over the townspeople. "Tsk, tsk. So many offenses against my pupil. You know the rules, Gideon; we protect the town and we all stick together. And if anyone steps out of line, they pay the price. I'm starting to think you may be defecting on me."

Gideon is nearly whimpering by now. "No! Please, I'm not defecting, I swear!"

"Even if I believed you, I don't think any of the town does. So, frankly it doesn't matter." Bill's eye turns to Dipper, and he strokes his sides quietly. "Hey, Pine Tree, want to know a fun fact about the Mindscape? You can't die in here. Your body can receive damage, yes, but it never stops working. So...Wonder what would happen if I dropped Shortstack right now..."

He smirks, humming. "Might hit his back on the bars before actually hitting the ground. Maybe a few broken ribs? Bruised vertebrae? Maybe his nose will break."

"Want to watch and see?"

"Sure. Why not?" Gideon is shouting from across the room, but his words are consumed by the chorus below.

Bill smirks. "Perfect." And he drops Gideon. Instantly he's pulled down by the crowd, and soon, terrified, anguished screams full the air of the cave.

Gideon and his suit are devoured by the crowd. Dipper sighs happily, shivering as a hand presses to his stomach. "Are they normally like this?"

"Heh. Sometimes. You like it?" The demon smirks, delighted by how much joy the kid was deriving from this.

"I think so." He curls up against him, delicately folding his legs over the throne's arm.

"Heheh. Well, we're only getting started, kiddo. Time for your initiation party." In a sudden spark of blue flames, Dipper's clothes were suddenly replaced with a fancy looking outfit. A reverend's outfit.

Dipper blinks, looking himself over as much as he could in his current position. "Initiation?"

"Well, yeah! You're a part of the prophecy, Pine Tree. Why wouldn't you be welcomed into this?" He gestures to the room around them.

"Ah, yeah. Heh. Sorry. I'm just still figuring all this out." He watches as a ripped portion of Gideon's sleeve flies across the cavern.

"Heheh. No problem. Here, maybe this will help." A blue tea cup is handed to him, filled with some star-laden fluid.

He takes it carefully. "What is it?"

"Cosmic Tea; the physical concentration of cosmic sands brewed in a kettle. It's like Time Punch, but...softer, would be the better word." He chuckles. Dipper nods, taking a sip, humming at the taste. It was...rather sweet. Fruity even.

"...I think it's time we started the party for real. I should introduce you to my friends anyhow." Bill snaps his fingers and the greyscale falls away, revealing a cloudless, swirling sky filled with nothing but ever changing, ever shifting colors and spirals. The ground had changed into black bricks woven with small lines of multi-colored lights, and everyone was suddenly dressed in formal attire.

Dipper hums in surprise, sitting up properly. "Whoa. Nice place."

"Only a fraction of what my home dimension is like, Pine Tree. You haven't seen anything yet." He cards his claws through the boy's hair.

Dipper grins. "I like it."

"Good to know." He lifts his hands off Dipper, clapping twice. "Ok, ok, guys! That's enough! Let's see what the damage is!"

The crowd finally stops their assault and pulls away. Gideon lays in a boneless heap, blood pooling under him from a variety of cuts and bruises. His body spasms, crimson splattering his cheek and chin. Most of his limbs are twisted in unnatural directions.

"Ooh. Lovely job, everyone. You all deserve a drink." The demon snaps his fingers and the crowd suddenly have margarita's in their hands. Bill glances at Dipper, purring. "What do you think? Think he's suffered enough?"

"Mm. For tonight." He takes a greedy swallow from his cup.

Bill hums and snaps his fingers. Gideon's body suddenly is gone, though the blood is still there. "Now that all of that serious shit is out of the way, how about we get to the fun?"

The crowd cheers, sloshing their drinks as they clink cups together. A few down their drink and start dancing on the spot. Bill snaps his fingers again as music fills the air, and loud, demonic laughter is heard, before 8 shapes emerge from the ethereal clouds. "Pine Tree, meet the Gang of Interdimensional Criminals and Nightmares. Or, as I call them, my best friends!"

Dipper's eyes widen at the sight of obviously extradimsenional beings descending toward them. One seems to glow, his eyes making out pink flames. Another is similar to Bill, despite the different shape; it was probably just the singular eye that brought Bill to mind. A purple one was just absolutely gianormous in comparison to everyone else. Was that one a set of teeth?

Bill smirks, waving a hand in the air. "Hey, guys! Over here; come meet our newest recruit!" All of them immediately fly over, circling the throne and shouting over each other as loud as they can.

"Aww! He looks so handsome in that cute little outfit!" Pink flaming claws come up to pinch a cheek.

"He doesn't look particularly strong. You sure he bested the Seeing Star in combat?" Two bright red eyes looked him over critically.

"He looks squishy." The gnashing pair of teeth smiles unsettlingly, as if it was going to take a bite out of him at any second.

"Oh, leave him alone. The fellow looks nice and proper to me." A bushy mustache was twiddled with between orange claws.

"So, you're the Pine Tree, eh? Nice to meet you!" A gloved hand was held out to him in a friendly handshake.

"You sure this kid will last? Looks kind of spineless to me." Was that a lock in that thing's forehead?

"I say we wrestle him! See if he's any good!" Two glowing 8-Balls stare at him unblinkingly.

A weird amalgamation of different multi-colored shapes, some featureless while some holding eyes floats above, peering at him silently. It says nothing, but it seems to blink in approval. The purple monstrosity just lays down on the ground, having the appearance of a slightly irritated puppy.

"Ah... Dipper Pines. Pleasure to meet you?" He hesitantly moves to shake the gloved hand, unsure with how to respond to so many new and different faces.

Bill rolls his eye after a moment, but he smirks, shooing everyone away so they're not so close. "Ok, ok, knock it off, let the kid breathe. Teeth, no jokes about eating him; he has the anxiety of a jackrabbit and I don't want him keeling over from a heart attack. Ronnie, don't eat him unless you get permission."

"Aww, how come Ronnie gets to eat him?!"

"Because she has 4 stomachs and knows not to bite down." Bill fixes him with a firm stare.

Teeth grumbles, crossing his arms. "It was one time.."

Ronnie huffs, glaring at him now. "You still bit Pacifire's arm off."

"Um..." Dipper shifts his eyes from side to side, somewhat tense against Bill. "Why would any of you eat me?"

"Oh, it's kind of an instinct for Teeth to try and take a bite out of whatever he sees. He keeps it under control pretty well though. With Ronnie, the term "eat" is used loosely. If anything it means "I really like you and I want to carry you around in one of my stomachs for a few hours because it gives off an instinct of pack protection". It's weird for a bit, and then you get used to it. No harm done." He pats Dipper consolingly on the head.

"O-oh." He relaxes, then glances over the group again and takes a large gulp of his drink.

Eventually all the Henchmaniacs back off, starting to mingle and have fun with the crowd, though Pyronica was seen giving Ford a rather tight hug, to which the old man wheezed, but still chuckles and pats her on the head. It seemed everyone was getting along remarkably well.

"They're, uh, very energetic."

"Heh. Yeah. I've been with these goofballs for over a trillion years. Well, a trillion and 5 years." He shrugs.

"A trillion and five?"

"Yup. Lets just say...I wasn't always like this." He winks.

"You're full of puzzles." He leans against him again, finishing his cup.

"Why do you think my last name is Cipher, kid?" Bill chuckles, petting his hair.

Dipper shifts, ducking his hand away. "Um. Please don't, um...."

Bill blinks slightly, but shrugs and waves a hand, spawning his own martini, to which he sips at it. "I've done it before, Pine Tree, jeez."

"Sorry, i....I'm not very used to many people touching me. And there's a lot of people down there."

Bill stares for a moment, but sighs and nods. "Ok, I gotcha."

Dipper shifts, offering a small grin. "You have been pretty great though. Maybe I'll tell you more after the party? Somewhere a bit more... calm? There's so many people here..."

The demon stares slightly at the kid for a moment, wondering if the offer was a sincere exchange of feelings, or if it was a sloppy attempt at suggestive flirting spurred on by interdimensional booze. Either way, he laughed, and winked. "You got yourself a deal."

Dipper laughs in return, relaxing again and taking another sip of his drink. If he was honest, he couldn't tell the difference himself. There was a definite buzz around his thoughts, pleasant despite its persistence. It seemed to relieve him of some of his stress. Eventually, the party lost most of its steam, and people began to drop on the spot, passing out and fading out of the dream. Even Ford was tuckered out, sleeping in a pile with the Henchmaniacs. Bill sipped idly at a martini, and sighed. "Ok, time for this to wrap up." He claps his hands twice, and the environment fades into a dark grey cavern.

Dipper leans against him more fully, tilting his back and kicking his feet gently as he takes small sips from his third cup of whatever magical concoction Bill was giving him. "I... think the' all-llll- hic! - liked it."  
  
Bill, upon hearing the hiccup, stifled a laugh and plucked the cup easily from his fingers. God of the cult or not, he doesn't really want Ford to punch him in the eye for getting his nephew utterly smashed. "Heheh. Ok, I think you've had enough, Pine Tree."

He pouts, but doesn't fight him. "Tastes good." He pulls his legs up and nestles against Bill even further, somehow managing to ignore his brick texture. The demon just rolled his eye in amusement, spawning a few more arms to properly wrap around the boy, hugging him close. He was purring, eye closed in a content expression.

"Mm. Thanks for schtick-sticking with me during the party."

"Heheh. Wouldn't be a good teacher if I let my pupil drown in the chaos out there." Bill cracks his eye open slightly, smirking gently.

Dipper grins. "You like partying though. You didn't have to."

"It was the least I can do after everything you had to go through in the trials." Bill shrugs, his expression mellowing out into an almost...guilty look.

The boy doesn't quite catch the look, instead sitting up a little. "Oh! That reminds me. I gotta tell you 'bout my, uh, the thing. With people touching me. And stuff."

Bill blinks, then hums, letting his arms go slightly lax so the boy can move. "Ok, go ahead and spill."

"You, uh, can't tell anyone. Even Ford. I dunno how he'll react." He twists his body to face him.

"You have my word, Pine Tree. I won't tell a soul." He makes a 'x' mark over his bowtie to emphasize his point.

"Okay, well..." He looks off to the side for a moment. "I used to go to a really horrible school. Got picked on a lot. Physically. I event'ally got extorted for work and stuff and one day I met with one of them to give 'em some stuff and he was really angry about something? Like, I still don't know exactly what it was. But he started beating me up and all and I jus' kinda dealt with it 'cause that's what they do and I can't do anythin' to stop 'em, but...." His rambling stops, body tensing as if a leash had been pulled.

Bill blinks as it all clicks, and his eye goes wide. "...He...He choked you, didn't he?"

He nods mutely, tracing along his neck gingerly. "He nearly killed me."

Bill says nothing, only hugging the boy close, stroking his back soothingly. He sighs after a moment, whispering. "I'm so sorry...I never would have messed with the ghost..."

Dipper swallows, nodding weakly. "It's al.... Wait. What?" He sits upright, pushing his hands away. "You wouldn't have 'messed with the ghost?'"

Bill's eye shrinks and darts around, the demon suddenly having quite the 'deer in headlights' expression. "Uhh, what? I didn't say that. What are you talking about?"

Dipper scowls. "You messed with the demon. I KNEW it was acting weird! It had too much control over - and it was YOU!?"

Bill was visibly nervous now, a bead of sweat appearing on his upper angle. He held his hands up in a defensive pose. "Hey, hey, you need to listen to me! I only tampered with it a little bit! Gave it some extra energy; I didn't think it would've come so close to killing you, Pine Tree!  
I just..I needed to make it more challenging!"

"More challenging than a normal LEVEL TEN!?" His breathing is uneven and he's definitely not thinking straight when he pushes Bill against the backrest of the throne, pinning him. "Do you know - heh, OF COURSE YOU KNOW what a level ten is like! They're extremely deadly and enjoy killing! They only have two weaknesses, one of which i had to GUESS ON. If I hadn't brought that mirror, JUST IN CASE BECAUSE I THOUGHT WE WERE DEALING WITH A SEVEN AT BEST, I wouldn't be here. Chances are, my sister wouldn't be here! All in the name of 'making it more challenging.'"

Bill's martini slips out of his hand and crashes to the floor when he's practically slammed back onto his own throne, doing nothing but blinking in shock for a few moments. He then yanks his hands away from the child's grip, trying to wriggle free from being pinned. "Look, kid! I was watching the whole time! I wasn't actually going to let the ghost kill you! You were never in any actual danger in the first place! If I kept it at a normal level for you then it would've been boring!"

"So was me nearly dying anyways not boring? Did it fulfill your - your wishes for entertainment?" He removes his hands from him, gritting his teeth. "And you just - you just watched all of that? You didn't try to do anything? You - you-" An almost growl comes from his throat. "Gideon did the exact same thing! He just watched as the ghost pummeled me!"

Bill immediately pulled away from the seat, now glaring at Dipper with a disgusted, insulted look. "I didn't mean it like that and you know it! I knew you could handle the ghost; I can see everything there is to see! I knew you would be fine, I knew you would be safe no matter what! And even then I still wanted to make sure and was right there the whole time! I am NOTHING like Gideon!"

Dipper glares at the ground, hugging himself. "Just... Just go away."

Bill's expression drops into one of shock, and he blinks. "Wh-What?"

"Go away. Leave me alone."

The demon's eye widens, and he drifts closer, reaching out to set a hand on Dipper's shoulder. "Pine Tree-"

"Leave me ALONE!" Dipper slaps his hand aside, their surroundings suddenly blurring and shattering. Bill feels a distinct pushing feeling before he finds himself back in his own realm. The demon is still for a good few seconds, merely blinking owlishly, in slight shock. Did...Did he...Did he just get shoved out of his own Mindscape?

He straightens himself, eye darting left and right, only to confirm his suspicions upon seeing multi-colored skies. He huffs, crossing his arms as he floats off into the distance, many new thoughts and possibilities racing through his mind. He would look into this odd new phenomenon later. For now though, he had to figure out a way to get Pine Tree to listen to him again.


	18. The Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait! Been really busy! Hope you brought tissues for this one.
> 
> Also, shoutout to Electric_Parade for an awesome piece of fan art they made! Keep up the good work, buddy!

Mabel was staring at the pin board with wide eyes, heart thudding hard in her chest as her mind is flooded with jumbled, mixed thoughts. She had no idea what to think even as she trailed every red line, examined every photo. Her eyes flick to McGucket, hands shaking ever so softly. "..Y...You're kidding, right? No way. There's no way my Great Uncle is a part of...of...some kind of weird town conspiracy! It's just not possible!"

McGucket fiddles with something in his hands, shifting slightly. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. Haven't you noticed all the triangles that surround him? All the candles he has lit around his house?" His eyes suddenly widen and he steps closer to her. "You haven't had any dreams, have you?"

Mabel's brow furrows, looking confused beyond belief. "D-Dreams? No, I don't..." Her expression suddenly turns into dawning horror. "Wait...What do triangles have to do with this?"

"Triangles represent the demon they worship. Bill Cipher." At the mention of the name, he shivers and curls his lip. "He can manifest in your mind and manipulate your dreams."

Pure fear jolts down Mabel's spine, turning her blood to ice and causing her breath to hitch, skin blanching horribly. "DIPPER!" She leaps to her feet in seconds, making a mad dash towards the first doorway she sees. The Axolotl on her hair squeaks but manages to stay atop her head.

"No, wait!" Knobbly hands grip one of her wrists. "You can't go to him! He's in too deep by now."

She grits her teeth, trying to yank her hand back. "That's my brother! That stupid demon was making him go on these crazy quests! I can't even tell you how many times he nearly died because of them! I'M NOT GOING TO LEAVE MY BROTHER IN THE HANDS OF SOME CRAZY CULT!" She starts tearing up, panicked, heart pounding, yanking as hard as she can.

McGucket grips her shoulders. "And I'm not gonna leave him there, either!" He just barely dodges a blow to his face. "He trusts Bill and Ford! What do ya think he'll do if ya up and told him they were villains, hm? Would he believe you?"

Her flailing starts to slow, tears trailing down her cheeks now. "He..He has to believe me! We're twins! I've never lied to him ever and he knows that! I...I..." She finally stops, rubbing at her eyes furiously. The Axolotl whines sadly, nuzzling her temple with its snout.

"I know.... I know." He gentles his grip, watching her sadly. "He'd want proof, though. Everyone does. And you don't have any 'cept for me, and you can't tell anyone you talked to me, else they'll send you away like they did with me." He hesitates, then pulls back. "Would you like a drink? Water, soda?"

"..Soda is fine." She sniffles slightly, heart clenching in her chest like it was being squeezed by someone's fist. She swallowed to try and get rid of the hard lump in her throat, mind swimming with distraught thoughts. What was going to happen now? What was Dipper going to do? How could she stop it?

McGucket hurries off and returns with a can of soda. "There is a way you could get your brother back. It could take a while, though."

"Well, what does Bill even want with Dipper? Why would a demon be talking to him?" She takes the soda and cracks it open, taking a small sip. It wasn't as cold as she would like it, but it was serviceable.

"He needs more people to aid him," McGucket says, glancing back at the board, "He's trying to gain a physical body by entering our realm of existence, and there's only so many ways to do so."

Mabel frowns, brow furrowed, mind flashing back to that strange tapestry she saw in the Northwest Manor. Of bowing figures and the skies set ablaze. Would that happen if Bill got into this reality? "...Why is the town helping him? Why is Grunkle Ford helping him?"

"Ford..." McGucket sits back in his chair, rubbing an arm. "Ford believes Bill is tryin' to help everyone. He's convinced everyone in town that Bill will purify the Earth and take away their troubles! And, well, if anyone acts out of line, he... He has power. Bill lends him power. Half of me thinks that's what corrupted him in the first place, but... He genuinely cares about Bill. And from what I've seen and heard of those - what did you call them, trials? - your brother might be cozyin' up to him too. I don't blame him; that triangle is slick, he knows how to manipulate people. And if he gets in your head, he knows everything you want, everything you're scared of."

Mabel was mostly silent for a few moments, processing everything. She looks up at him, befuddled. "..How do you know this? Know their plans? You're huddled up in a dump all day with everyone making sure you don't leave."

The old man shifts, shoulders hunching up slightly at the questions. "Ah, that...." He exhales and removes his glasses, staring at them. "Stanford and I have a past together. We met a long time ago, and we worked on a certain contraption for the longest of times." He pauses, seeming uncertain of how to explain himself. "I can't... remember everything. My mind is so - so jumbled, some things just don't make no sense anymore. But I've been remembering things more clearly recently!" He eagerly waves his glasses and slips them on once more. "I saw something I shouldn't have while I was workin' with Ford, and as soon as I saw it, I knew Bill wasn't being truthful. I knew he was hidin' something...." He frowns at his hands.

"...And these little guys?" She raises a hand to pet her Axolotl, who croaks happily.

McGucket grins widely. "Oh, the axolotls are enemies of Bill. I can't quite explain it myself, but they help me with a lot of things, and they can sneak around the town and gather intel. Sometimes they sneak some goodies for me too. Heheh. They're sweet little guys." He picks up a few who were nuzzling his leg, and let's them clamber up his arms and shoulders. One buries itself in his beard.

"Well, I guess that explains that weird...vision, I had before I passed out." Mabel sighs after a moment, taking another sip of her drink. "So...Is there anyway to stop Bill? Or at least hinder his plans?"

"Oh, yes!" He hops up, the axolotls squeaking as they balance themselves. He points toward several people who had symbols next to them. "These people, they're the ones Bill's been focusin' on. He calls them the Zodiac. They're the people Bill needs in order to be summoned here. If we keep them away from him, or turn them against him, we could foil his plans! And I reckon that the Zodiac works two ways: it can summon Bill, and banish him. Tricky, but if he does make it here, we still have a chance of pushin' him back to where he came from."

Glancing at the symbols, Mabel could feel her hopes lift ever so slightly. She had a chance to turn things around, turn Dipper away from the path he was walking towards. It was slim, but it was there, and that was enough for her. "..Ok, gotcha..." Her heart skips a beat as an intimidating thought comes to mind. "..They don't know I'm here, right? What happens if I slip up and get caught?"

"Ah, no, no one knows you're here. Bill might be able to see through tree holes, but my sources tell me he's been focusing on your brother too much to focus on me and my agenda. And my home is shielded from him. All you need do is get back to your home before sundown." He taps his chin and returns to his seat. "You should have something to tell the others, though. In case they come askin' where you went and where you been."

"...Right.." Mabel puts down her can of soda, and awkwardly, gently, untangles her Axolotl from her hair. It croaks sadly as she places it down on a creaky table. She gives it one more pat before turning to McGucket. "I'll...I'll try and find you when I convince Dipper."

"I'll then likely be here," he says, lifting a shoulder and grinning apologetically.

Mabel nods back before slipping out of the weird hut, stepping out into the actual dump. She glances up at the sky, noticing how the moon was at its peak, and bites her lip. It had to be around midnight then. Not good. Well, getting back before sundown is out of the question. She wonders how the man didn't realize how late it was. She sighs after a few moments, and starts slowly walking away from the dump, careful not to step on any broken glass or sharp metal. If anyone was still awake, she could either dart up the stairs or climb through a window.

Her heart thumps a little. Stan might've stayed awake waiting for her. At least, he might've tried to. Maybe she could tell him she'd been with Candy and Grenda and forgot her phone, and then text them later to cover for her if asked. Friends would do that, right?

It takes a while, and she finds her clothes a bit dirty regardless or her caution, but she makes her way back to Stan's house. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she eyes the building, not seeing any visible lights. Ah, good. Maybe he decided to go to bed and look for her tomorrow. Today? Guh, she needed a watch or something. She creeps toward the back of the house, sparing Ford's house a glance. His candles were all out. She couldn't remember a single time they hadn't been lit. McGucket's words come back to her: "Haven't you noticed all the triangles that surround him? All the candles he has lit around his house?" She slowly turns the doorknob, listening for any creaking in the house.

Heart in her throat and fingers trembling, she opens the door as quietly as she could, and carefully steps inside. She quickly took her shoes off so they wouldn't click against the wooden floor, closing the door behind her. Eyes darting around for any lights or sounds, she began to inch up the stairs. She forced herself to step only on the edges of each stair, hoping the structure there would be enough to avoid any squeaks.

When Mabel finally reaches her room, she lets out a deep sigh as she closes the door behind her, hands coming up to rub her face. She felt really tired, not to mention distressed, more so then she had felt in months. She thought this was their ticket out of the mess they got themselves into...But it seems like they just tangled themselves into a spider's web. She chances to let out a small groan of stress as she leans against the door, then walks across the room and flops onto her bed. She should probably change before going to sleep.

Her eyes wander around the room, only to freeze upon glancing at the window, every muscle in her body seizing up. A triangular window between the two beds. Oh god. He's been watching the entire time. He must know. He must know that she  
came in late, at least. Should she cover it? Would that be too suspicious? She should look away from it; she never acknowledged it before. But knowing what she knew.... She takes a breath and gathers some sleeping clothes and enters the bedroom's closet to change. No. She's not going to change in that room anymore. Even if it makes her look suspicious. She's not going to have some crazy demon god watching as she undressed everyday and every night.

By the time she comes back out, Mabel looks even more shaken then before. She rubs her face, pulls at her bangs, holds her breath, anything to try and get her heart to stop pounding. She wasn't safe here. she wasn't safe anywhere. She could feel them. She could feel them everywhere. Eyes. Nothing but eyes. Watching. Staring. SEARCHING.

Does he know? Is that why he wants Dipper? Does he want to capitalize on their past? A moment passes where she does nothing but sit still at the foot of her bed. Then she pulls her case of fabrics out and, hands trembling, begins to cut two lengths of the darkest, silkiest cloth she can find. It's a deep Navy. It'll do. She fishes out her golden trim and thread, working the fabric into a presentable curtain. A dowel, derived from an old broom handle found in the closet and some repurposed rubber nubs, found on the bus ride to this town, slides neatly through the curtain. Not a moment later is it tucked up into the windowsill. She knows Dipper will ask about it. She'll lie, but she won't feel badly for it. She'll just say she was suddenly inspired and thought it would be neat if they could have a little alcove to sit and draw or read or just be alone in. The fact that it gave them privacy from the outside world was just an added plus. Maybe he'd even like the idea. She knew he'd like the color, at least. She had even added some of her premade felt stars and hearts and planets and trees to further her lie.

It takes a few minutes, curled up on the bed in Sweater Town, for Mabel's breathing to finally become stable. She doesn't move for a few minutes, then slowly sits up. She could still feel the tingling of her skin, the sensation she was being watched, but it was much less then before. Where was this feeling coming from anyway? Did knowing Bill's name give her some kind of supernatural awareness? Did the Axolotl's vision allow her to sense his presence?

She didn't know, and it was freaking her out, her nerves were unraveling like old strings. She did know one thing though; she couldn't do this alone. Almost the entire town, including her brother, could be in on Bill's plan, and the only other ally she had was an old dumpster hobo and a bunch of adorable lizards. There was no way she could turn all of this around before it got worse. Not on her own.

...She needed help.

\--

It took a while to force himself awake. Well, he spent the first few minutes just trying to calm down and wrap his head around Bill's words. Only then did he make any conscious effort to get out of the throne Bill had made and away from this contrived place. When he did wake up, he found himself in the cavern, with most everyone else. Ford was still asleep, curled on the ground with a calm, serene look on his face. Dipper fought the sudden urge to kick dirt in his face. Another deep breath brought him outside of the caves and wandering through the forest. His mind grumped over what Bill had said, replaying every conversation they'd had for any sign of this betrayal. There weren't any. Of course there were any. Bill would be too smart for that. At last, he came upon the clearing. He barely thought twice before stepping inside of the Shack and toward the steps. He hesitated for a moment; he drank a lot, so maybe he should get some water? No, he couldn't feel it anymore. That stuff is weird. He marches up the stares, his steps light but creaky, and he didn't care. If Stan woke up and found him, he'd give him a lie. If Mabel woke up and found him, he tell her to mind her own business. He wouldn't be able to explain everything to her now anyways. Sighing, he pushes the door open and enters the room.

Mabel had not moved for the entire half hour it took for Dipper to come home, eyes bloodshot and puffy thanks to crying, knees tight against her chest, hands clutching a pillow so hard her hands were shaking. Her head snapped up the moment she saw the doorknob turn, and tears welled in her eyes upon seeing Dipper. They were tears of shame; shame that the first emotion that fired through her body was fear, not joy, at the sight of her brother. Shame that she was now afraid of him, shame that she was secretly working against him, and shame that she was about to lie to him for the very first time.

Her mind was screaming at her, trying to tell her to stop, but she couldn't listen. She didn't want to.

"...Dipper.." Her voice was choked with emotion, cracking and desperate. She instantly got up and ran over to him, wrapping her brother up in a tight bear-hug. She couldn't help but sob, gasping through the avalanche of tears. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She couldn't help but repeat those words over and over, shaking like a leaf, terrified of what she had done, and what she was going to do. Apologizing, it did not matter what for, just felt like the right thing to do.

All the black thoughts Dipper had running through his mind shatter the instant Mabel hugged him. For a moment, he does nothing, shocked to find her awake, to find her crying, to find her apologizing. Then his arms wrap around her, letting her cry onto him as he softly shushes her and rubs her back. As her sobbing lessens, he says, "What's going on? Why are you apologizing?" He closes the door and squeezes her shoulders gently.

Mabel slowly pulls back, rubbing at her eyes furiously, still shaking and sniffling as she fought not to start sobbing all over again. Her face was red, tears soaking her cheeks, hair matted and dirty. "...I...You're my brother....You're my brother and I love you...And I'm sorry for all of the things I've done to you..."

He raises a brow, but smiles gently. "You haven't done anything to me."

"...No...I have...I have and I'm sorry.." She hugs him close again but isn't sobbing, merely holding him close.

"It's okay. Everything will be okay." He rubs her back. "Is there anything else bothering you?"

"I...I made a curtain for the room...I wasn't sure if you would like it." She points up to said curtain.

He looks over and blinks. "Oh." A grin springs across his face. "Hey, you think we can find extra pillows or something? Maybe we can make into a sort of mini den or something, where we can, I dunno, hang out and relax and stuff."

Mabel stares for a few moments, basically dumbstruck. But after a few moments, she couldn't help but start laughing softly, rubbing her eyes to get rid of a fresh wave of tears. "...That sounds wonderful."

 


	19. The Agents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry everyone! We didn't mean to go so long without updating; school had started for us and we lost track of time! That's why we went out of our way to make a long chapter in order to make it up to you!
> 
> Please leave lots of comments to show your support!

The sun had yet to rise, but a sleek, black car hums its way into town. It slows as it enters town limits, the two men inside surveying their wooded surroundings with vigilant eyes. A deer raises its antlers as they pass, then skitters off with a hidden fawn deeper into the forest. Houses began to crop up, the first few small, single-storied homes for small, single-child families. Corner stores, auto stores, specialty stores, and a restaurant. Very few cars line the roads, though the occasional bike rack could be spotted near some of the higher quality establishments. A lone figure jogs on the sidewalk, a fluffy dog struggling to keep pace with his stubby legs. It's normal. It looks normal. But if that was the case, why did their car look so out of place? The two shoulder the question and park at what could only be the town hall. They exit the car, enter quietly, and return to their car only a half hour later. They then drive to the sheriff's department and repeat the process. As they once again enter their vehicle, the sun crests over the horizon and send rays over the sleepy town of Gravity Falls. Those same rays would have reached the beds of the twins, had the navy curtain not blocked them. But had they reached those beds, it would have fallen on bare linens; the twins themselves lay on the blanketed ground in a makeshift pillow fort, hands just inches apart from each other.

Dipper was the one who woke up first, eyes fluttering slowly as his mind hefted itself out of unconsciousness. He shifted rather clumsily given that he was just starting to wake, sitting up to look around, vision slightly blurry. His brows furrow as he stretches, hand sloppily placing itself on his cheek. He yawns silently and glances at Mabel. His sister was still asleep, her hair splayed out all over the ground, a few strands plastered over her face. She looked calm, peaceful, and much better then she was last night.

He grins softly. She had been so stressed. He was almost certain she hadn't told him everything, but then again, he was absent for a while. She was probably just worried about him. He stands, stretching again before heading downstairs.

The moment he saw Stan, he knew something was wrong.The old man was standing at the front window to the house, staring, eyes wide, looking both shocked...and terrified.

"...Stan?" He walks down the last of the steps, something in him freezing.

"..There's two men outside. They're in front of Ford's house."

"What?" He hurries up to the other window and glances to Ford's house.

Indeed, two men were emerging from a sleek black car, approaching said house with steely gazes. A few of the townspeople were crowded around the area, whispering amongst themselves. "...They look serious. Are they...?" He looks over at Stan.

"I'm not sure. Maybe."

He shifts, then opens the door and steps out to the porch. He shivers slightly at the crisp morning air. The two men were now knocking on Ford's door, and it wasn't long before the man stepped out to greet them. Everyone went quiet in order to hear the conversation. "Hello, how can I help you?"

"Are you Stanford Pines?" They pull out matching badges. "We're agents from the government, and we're looking into a report given to a hotline about this town."

Everyone goes dead still, and Ford is motionless for a few moments before raising a brow. "A report you say? What was it about?"

"We aren't at liberty to say anything specific," the second agent offers, "but we were told you would know the most about any recent changes within the town. Have there been any newcomers, laws, or strange activities nearby?"

Ford stares for a few moments, frowning in confusion. "Strange activities? No, I don't believe so. The only newcomers here would have to be yourselves, and...my two grand-niblings."

"Grand-nibblings?" They frown at him, slightly confused.

"I'm their Great Uncle. Well, one of their Great Uncles. My brother Stanley lives over there, and they're currently staying in his house for the summer. Please don't go and disturb them, they're probably still asleep. It is only 7:30 in the morning."

Dipper shifts behind the couch as the agents turn to look over the other house. They turn back to Ford. "We'll have to ask them a few questions."

Ford frowns again, looking unsure, but sighs. "I don't see why, but very well."

"Is there any reason they're at your brother's house and not in yours?"

"And why are they here?"

"I'm a sort of pest control specialist around here; all of the woodland animals and what not. I'd rather not have them getting into chemicals or anything I might have laying around. As for why they're here, they were sent up by their parents. Wanted them to get fresh air."

"Hm. Okay. Would you happen to know anything about a, um, Gideon Gleeful?" The agents both look up at him, curious.

Everyone behind them vaguely tense, and Ford blinks for a moment before responding. "Oh, him. He's in the hospital right now; the poor boy fell off a cliff."

"The paperwork said you found him and brought him to the hospital."

"That is correct, yes."

"Where exactly did you find him?"

"I can show you if you wish."

"Location, Stanford," the agent presses. "An approximation would suffice."

Ford stares for a few moments, caught off guard. "...Two miles out to the northeast. A cliffside surrounded by pine trees."

"Thank you." The two turn and walk down the stairs of Ford's shack. They again glance over at Stan's house, again seeing the boy half hidden behind a couch. Dipper is shaking like a leaf at this point, fear crashing into his heart like a tidal wave, making it pound against his ribcage as if it wanted to pop out of his chest. He immediately bolts upstairs, vision starting to blurr, throat constricting around itself from panic. Why were they here? Why were they here?!

His hand fumbles with a doorknob before he shoulders open the door and slams it shut behind him. He presses his back against the door, trying and failing to calm his breathing. Mabel was woken up the moment she hears the door slam, scrambling to her feet when she realizes Dipper is nowhere to be seen. Eyes wide with panic, she exits the room, looking around frantically for her brother. "Dipper? Dipper?!"

Something falls in the bathroom, a loud clacking and thudding sound near the door. Stan is suddenly at the top of the stairs, eyes wide. He sees Mabel, then turns to the bathroom. "Dipper? Are you okay?" He waves Mabel over. "You just ran back inside, and then I heard a thud. Did anything break in there, kiddo?"

Mabel stares for a few moments, and rushes over to the door, her shaking hands closed over the knob. "Dipper? Dip-Dip, what's going on? What's wrong?"

The knob doesn't turn. Dipper's ragged breathing creeps through the wooden door. "F-fine.... I'm - hhn - I'm fine." He practically wheezes.

Stan glances at Mabel, and whispers, "Has he ever had panic attacks before?"

She pales visibly, and Mabel momentarily stiffens out of fear. This wasn't like last time, this wasn't like last time, this wasn't like last time...

  
Swallowing harshly, throat starting to grow tight itself, she knocks quietly on the door. 4 times, in a steady pattern. "Dippin-Dots...You're ok...You hear me?" She knocks again, the same 4 times.

Inside, Dipper leans his head back and struggles to take a breath. He tries to focus on her words, the sound of those four taps on wood, and it somehow makes him relax. His breath comes out less a wheeze and more a harsh whine, but his body continues to vibrate, limbs vague and fuzzy. The pressure in his head forces tears from his eyes. He would do anything to hug Mabel, to have her here, but the mere thought made him reflexively cough and curl inward. He needs space. No. He needs Mabel. No. No. He needs to think. Fuck. Stop thinking. Where's Mabel?

The knocking continues to come from the other side of the door. "...Remember that one time Mom and Dad weren't home, so we made ourselves dinner? You know, when we stayed up all night watching movies and eating brownie-cookies?"

He nods, then realizes she can't see him and makes a noise he hopes comes across as some kind of affirmation. Another breath comes in, but his throat closes around it and the air bottles and hovers in his chest.

The same four knocks, slightly louder this time. "We watched our favorite movies, right? And by the time Mom got home, she found us still awake. It was 3 in the morning. Why don't we try that again? We can go to a store, get as many movies as we want, and eat sweets until we have at least 5 cavities. Sound fun?"

He swallows another breath, this one more smooth. Then another stuttering breath. "I... picked last."

There was a beat of silence, then the knocks came again. "You want me to pick this time?"

He finds himself nodding again. "Y-yeah." His tongue darts out over his lips. "To be-e-e fair."

"Sounds good..." There was a moment of silence. "..Want to go stock up now? Can you open the door?"

"Um." He stares ahead dumbly, still taking in deep breaths. After a moment, he sits up and, painfully slowly, turns and unlocks the door.

Mabel slowly opens it up just a crack so her face is seen, and she smiles at him. Despite her apparent cheerfulness, the smile was wobbling, and tears made her eyes shine. "You feeling ok now, bro-bro?"

A lump forms in his throat as he sees her face and he goes to open his mouth, but only a wheezing whine comes out, so he reaches out toward her hands and pulls her down into a hug. He lets out a heavy exhale, burying his face in her sweater as his body trembles. Stan gently knocks on the doorframe - four times, just to be safe - and quietly whispers, "I'll get the living room ready for you two."

Mabel just hugs back, gently, not wanting to accidentally constrict him. She was crying too, silently, eyes squeezed shut as tears streamed down her face. Her hands began rubbing up and down his back, trying to bring him comfort.

Dipper takes shuddering breaths, trying to calm himself as Stan leaves. "Ih-hh-I'm so-s-s-sorry. I don't know-" His throat shudders and snaps shut for a moment, hands fisting in her sweater.

"Shh...Shhhh...It's ok...It's not your fault...You're ok now, and that's all that matters..Shh.." Mabel shushes him softly, sniffling for a few moments.

He nods, taking a few more deep breaths. Gradually, his body stops shaking and he shifts his head to the side. "Th-there are some agents-" His voice catches. "-some a-agents that want - want - to talk to us."

There was a pause, and Mabel stills. "...Like, government stuff?"

He nods, bringing a hand up to wipe at his eyes. There was yet another pause before Mabel pulled back slightly, staring into his eyes with a worried gaze. Said look suddenly hardens into one of calmness as she cups his cheeks. "Listen, ok? You're going to be alright. WE are going to be alright. Whatever they're searching for, I'm sure it has nothing to do with us. Ok?"

He looks down, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes. "They were asking about Gideon. I..." Dipper shifts and shakes his head. "Ford said he fell off a cliff."

She blinks, then sighs. "Well, look, as long as Gideon doesn't mention you, you should be fine, ok?"

He bits his lip, then nods. "Yeah. As long as he doesn't mention me..." He shifts, then stands. "We should head downstairs."

Mabel blinks at the sudden change before standing up as well, holding his hand calmly. "Alright."

The two walk down the stairs slowly, leaving behind a fallen soap dispenser and trash can. Dipper continues to rub his eyes, taking a few more breaths as they reach the bottom step. Stan was already setting up blankets and pillows in a rather expertly made fort, a stack of cash sitting on the table a few feet away. He glances up at them, then away, then points at the money. "For, uh, for getting the movies and junk."

Dipper grins at him, then, upon seeing just how epic the fort was, walks over and hugs him. "Thanks, Stan."

The old man blinks, but a strained smile comes to his lips as he hugs his nephew back. "Heh. It's the least I can do."

Dipper holds on for a moment, then lets him go and turns back to Mabel. "So, what do you feel like watching?"

Mabel chuckles a bit, grinning, absentmindedly wiping her eyes. "How about a movie like Jaws? Or maybe a comedy movie? Actually, we'll decide when we get to the store, ok?"

He nods, taking her hand again as they take the money and walk toward the door. The instant Dipper's hand touched the knob, the door was knocked on from the other side, and a voice was heard from the other side. "Mr. Stanley Pines? We'd like to have a word with you and those kids."

Stan grumbles as he walks to the door. "Do you have a warrant? You can't come in here unless you have one."

"Yes, we do."

"Please, sir, open the door."

He sighs and opens the door for them. "Does it also override my position as guardian over these two? And one of you might want to get my brother; you can't ask them questions without one of their guardians present."

One of the agents, the one with a mustache, sighs and nods toward his partner, who walks off toward Ford's house. He glances down at the kids, his gaze steely, almost cold.   
Dipper subconsciously steps back, hand clenching around Mabel's. He wasn't going to get out of this, was he? He forces himself to take a deep breath as he rubs his arm. "What, um, what are your names?"

"You may call me Agent Power, and my partner is Agent Trigger. We've come here because we've received word of...odd activity going on in this town. We'll be staying for a while to try and figure everything out. And your Uncle Stanford has told me you two were the latest newcomers here."

"Yeah, we're just here for the summer." Mabel shrugs with one shoulder.

"Why do you want to talk to us, anyways?" Dipper frowns a bit.

"We just need to ask you a few questions is all."

Dipper hugs himself, absently rubbing his arms as he looks aside. Trigger soon came back with Ford not long after, the latter looking slightly perturbed. "They shouldn't be up this early. I asked you to not bother them."

Stan exhales, passing a hand over his stubbly chin. "Dipper came down on his own, and... Well, seeing federal agents pounding on his great uncles' doors isn't exactly the best thing to wake up to. He had a bit of a panic attack."

Something in Ford's expression shifts, and his glasses block his eyes from view. Mabel, eyes going slightly wide from the sight, glances over at the agents. "Uh...You wanted..to ask us questions? About what?"

"Just a few generic questions." Powers nodded.

"But we have to talk to you each separately, though." Trigger crossed his arms.

Mabel glances over at Dipper, frowning in worry, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "Dipper, is that ok?"

He shifts slightly, squeezing back. "Yeah. That's okay."

She stares for a few moments, then sighs and glances up at the agents. "Ok, we'll try and answer your questions."

The two glance at each other and nod. "Trigger will take you, young miss, and I'll take you." Powers turns to Dipper.

Stan shifts, looking begrudging to say the least. "Now what? Are you gonna take them out of the house or...?"

"Just separate rooms." Powers nods to Trigger, who moves into the nearby kitchen. Mabel shifts and walks into the kitchen, quickly followed by Stan.

Powers again turns back to Dipper. "Why dont we go into your living room?"

Dipper nods meekly, walking into said area, noting that Ford was following out of the corner of his eye. The boy sits down in a large armchair, looking down in his lap and not moving an inch. Powers takes a moment to flip to a new page in a small pocket book of his. "Can I have your name?"

"...Dipper. Dipper Pines."

"How long have you been in Gravity Falls?"

"About a month."

"Have you seen anything strange while you've been here?" He looks up for an answer.

"..No." He shakes his head, rubbing at the knuckles on his left hand idly, which was still a light purple from the last trial.

The agent glances down at his hands, then at the faint bruising on his forehead. "Looks like you got in a fight recently."

Dipper freezes, his blood turning to ice. The bruises. Gideon. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. "...I fell down the stairs."

Powers raises a brow and jots that down. "How has your time with your great uncles been?"

He looks up at the agent this time, shocked at the question. Ford, standing behind Powers, looks deeply offended by the insinuation. The boy furrows his brow after a moment, sighing. "It's obvious they've never taken care of children before. But they're trying their best."

"How do they compare to your parents?"

Dipper's fists clench hard, pupils shrinking, and he has to momentarily take deep breaths in order to calm his heartbeat. Ford, alarmed, walks over but refrains from touching him, instead glaring at Powers. "I'm afraid that's a sensitive subject. Please refrain from asking that again."

"Apologies." He scribbles a note on his pad. "Was there any reason why you ran inside after seeing us talking to Stanford?"

The boy doesn't respond for a few moments. "..You were strange men in business suits showing up out of nowhere. Anyone would be freaking out."

"Of course. We get that response quite a bit, regretfully."

Dipper rolls his eyes. "I can't imagine why."

"Yes, well... Did you hear anything about what happened to Gideon Gleeful?"

"Yeah; he fell off a cliff."

"You don't sound very upset about that."

"Why would I be? I don't know him all that well."

"Usually people are a bit more sympathetic towards people who get hurt near them."

"Well, I'm not. Never talked to him, so I don't care."

"Okay." He notes that in his pad. "I think thats all I need right now. We'll be in touch if we need to ask more questions."

Dipper just sighs and nods. Powers nods and walks into the kitchen, muttering a few words before leaving with Trigger at his heels. Mabel immediately rushes into the livingroom as soon as the agents are out the door, stopping a few inches away from Dipper, obviously hesitant to touch him, not wanting to trigger another attack. "Dip-Dots? Are you ok?"

He takes a breath and nods, carding a hand through his hair. "Yeah. Did they ask you about our parents?"

Mabel sighs and nods, and Stan blinks in surprise. "Your parents? What's wrong with your parents?"

"They suck, that's what's wrong with them." Dipper pulls his legs up to his chest, grumbling.

Stan stares, in shock. "What?"

"Are you serious?" Dipper's eyes widen. "Have you never why I have insomnia? Why Mabel and I already chug energy drinks and coffee like our lives depend on it? Did you even think about how we got here, across state lines, on a bus, without anyone we knew!?"

"Dipper-"

"No, Mabel. No one understands. No one cares. We're twelve and our parents are shit and don't care about us. That's it."

Before anyone can say anything, or do anything for that matter, Dipper stands up and runs toward the front door, slamming it shut with a loud crash. Ford stares for a few moments, before moving to go after him, only to be stopped by Mabel tugging on his arm, looking worried, but resigned. "Just let him blow off steam. He's really stubborn when he gets like this."

Ford hesitantly glances between her and the door, then sighs. "He'll come back?"

Mabel stares at the door, nodding almost distantly. "Y-Yeah...He always does." This wasn't like last time, this wasn't like last time, this wasn't like last time...

\--

Dipper restlessly kicks a pile of branches and leaves aside, forging his way through the forest. He can feel the still rising sun on his back when the trees part above him, but very little else. He couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand how everyone was so naively blind to their suffering. Oh, they're just kids! Obviously they don't have any traumas to worry about! Obviously it doesn't matter what the kids say! They're just overreacting!

And then there were the people who thought that maybe his parents just were in a rough spot. Yeah, right. If a rough spot meant owning a fully functioning business, having a high paying salary, and lounging around in a multistory building not worrying about anything but two kids, he'd eat his hat. No one understood. No one seemed to comprehend the concept of shitty parents, not until it was shoved into their eyesockets and ground into their brain. He couldn't trust anyone, especially not an adult. They always doubted his word just because he was a fucking kid.

Being a kid doesn't diminish his thoughts! Or his opinions, or his knowledge. He huffs and kicks a rock....Whatever. The agents will find nothing and leave after a couple days or something. As long as they don't suspect a thing, then it doesn't matter to him. Though, they were asking about Gideon...

He freezes mid-kick, his expression dropping into one of slight shock. Words flood his brain, ringing through his skull like a bell.

'Well, look, as long as Gideon doesn't mention you, you should be fine, ok?'

A small grin stretches across his face. He was already heading west.

\--

Ford was pacing back and forth in an agitated manner as he rushed about his house, gathering random items and devices around the shelves or off the floor, scrambling in a mad dash. There had to be a way to get those blasted agents out of town! There had to be! Of course, outrightly killing them would raise brows. He'd have to wait for the right moment. But he has to find out HOW first! Maybe... maybe he could make it look like an accident? Or maybe he could throw them a bone and see if they bite?

Everything seemed to shift ever so slightly, in ways most wouldn't even notice; the wind chimes outside clanged together in a slightly-off tune melody, the candles flickered, and the dreamcatchers seemed to almost glow. Ford sighs in frustration. "Bill, not now."

"I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't important, Sixer."

Ford just sighs and bends down to rummage through a particularly cluttered shelf. "Well, whatever it is, it can wait! I don't have time for it!"

"No, Fordsy, you're going to want to look at this." He grabs Ford's shoulder.

The man sighs, and turns to face the demon, glaring at him. "What, what? What is it?!"

"Look." Bill points to a shimmering viewpoint to his left, which is currently pointed toward a hospital bed.

Ford stares only for a few moments before he sees it, and his eyes go wide. "...Son of a bitch.."

\--

"Gideon, can you please answer the question? How did you get so injured?" The agents were standing in the hospital room where Gideon was kept, Powers writing in his notepad while Trigger was questioning him.

"I... I don't..." The boy stares at his hands, one bound tightly in a cast, and the other covered in bandages. "I'm not entirely sure what happened...." He takes a breath to calm himself, trying to force his hands to stop shaking.

Right behind both agents, silent, and barely unseen, was Dipper, standing in the doorway. His eyes were glaring intensely, burning with a steely hatred, malicious and cold. It was as if he was daring the wounded child to tell the truth. Gideon looks up at the agents and opens his mouth, but stills at the sight. His entire body pales and he quickly looks away again, shaking his head. "I can't. I can't remember anything."

The agents pause, looking at each other for a moment, then back at Gideon. "Nothing? Nothing at all?

"Well, I remember... I was in a forest. The forest. It was - It was pretty rocky where I was, but I can't really... remember where exactly I was... or what happened."

Powers hums after a moment, and straightens. "Alright then. Please, try and contact us if you remember anything else."

Dipper retreats from the doorway silently, as if he wasn't even there, holding back a giddy laugh that threatened to blow his cover as he snuck down toward the stairs, smirking even wider. That was too easy. He had expected to, at most, have to walk into the room or something. But his mere presence was enough to scare Gideon into silence! He bites his lip, trying his hardest not to laugh. He knows he should be concerned about being glad that someone is scared of him, but he honestly doesn't care. That tubby piece of shit made his life a living hell throughout the whole summer, and now Gideon has been reduced to nothing but a sniveling mess. Payback was a bitch, but it just so happened to land in his favor.

He takes a breath, leaning against the wall in front of the door to the ground floor. Oh, this is nice. Brilliant, even. His only problem now is the agents.

\--

Mabel was sitting beside a window, hands gripping the edge and nose pressed against the glass, eyes straining just to catch a single glimpse of her brother. It had been 3 hours since he stomped off in a rage, and she was getting more and more worried every second. She forced back all the images in her head threatening to creep in, her nails starting to bite into her palms. This wasn't like last time, this wasn't like last time, this wasn't like last time...

As if being summoned, Dipper strolls out of the forest, stretching one of his arms behind his head. A smile, full of relief, stretches across her face. But before she can even move, the door to Ford's house bursts open, and out comes Ford himself, eyes hidden behind his glasses, and looking VERY angry. He shouts across the field at her brother, fists clenched and shaking. Dipper stops walking, rolling his eyes as he lets his arms drop. He mutters something before Ford grabs his wrist and pulls him toward his cabin.

Oh no. Oh, this wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. Without a second thought, Mabel pulls away from the window and runs out the door, skidding to a stop just as she nears the cabin, an odd creeping shiver crawling across the back of her neck. She could feel it. He was there. He was there with them, all over that house.

Fuck. Fuck, no. She crawls up to the side of the window, taking deep breaths even as that feeling intensifies. Ford was seen pacing back and forth in the livingroom, ranting and raving to himself in a seeming fury, hands trembling as they flickered and sputtered with purple flames, the man going practically red in the face. Yet somehow, Mabel couldn't hear anything through the glass, aside from a few muffled syllables. Dipper stands, leaning against the kitchen counters, arms crossed as he looks away from Ford. He says nothing, letting Ford rant and rave. His fingers drum impatiently against his arm, face almost too passive.

Mabel was staring, feeling both horrified and confused at the same time. What was wrong with Dipper? What did he do to make Ford so angry? Dipper seems to sigh, and then says something, drowned out by Ford's shouts and the sound proof glass. Ford pauses, then turns to look at him and says one word. Dipper repeats himself, shrugging.

Mabel stares, brow furrowing as she observes this confrontation, horror being washed away by bewilderment as Ford suddenly seems to deflate, the old man sighing as he rubs his eyes under his glasses. Dipper says something, raising a brow, to which Ford just nods silently. The boy then walks toward the door, face a blank slate. He stops at the door, then exhales and continues walking, closing the door behind him.

Mabel immediately sprints away from the window, stumbling a few times in her mad dash to get inside Stan's house. She tries to sit down at the chair by the window but trips and falls to the ground just inches away. She slowly gets up, glancing out the window. Dipper was staring right at her from the window, a good 10 feet away. Even as her heart skips a beat, she does her best to out on a smile. He sighs, then walks up the porch steps.

The moment Dipper walks in, Mabel stands up, trying her best to ignore the shakiness of her limbs, how her mind was screaming at her that something wasn't right. She walks toward her brother, pulling him close into a hug. "Oh, Dipper! Thank God, I was so worried!"

He takes a moment to reciprocate. "Sorry about running off like that."

She pulls back, smiling and ruffling his hair. "Its ok, you were all angry and stuff, i get it. Hey, I went and got all of the candy and movies. You up for a marathon still?"

He grins. "Sure. What movies did you pick out?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Jaws, Captain America, Iron Man 1,2, and 3." She leads him into the living room, where a large pillow fort was built, surrounded by piles of candy.

"Ooh, nice! Marvel and Jaws." He picks up some Skittles and crawls into the fort. Mabel giggles, popping a movie into the DVD and starting it up.

Throughout all 4 movies, all they did was talk, eat candy, and, well, watch the movies. It was a bit sloppy, and occasionally they had to fight over certain boxes, but it was honestly the best fun they've had in a while. How long had it been since they've done anything like this? By the time the last movie was over, both twins were passed out in a heap, boxes of half-eaten candy scattered everywhere. Dipper, in his sleep, began to shift, starting to have a dream.

He first sees himself on a dark cliff, rain pouring down around him, and then suddenly finds himself in a boat. Whispers float around him, a cloaked individual rowing the boat through the waves. A tide rises over him, the sun just barely spotting over the lake, before-

  
"Pine Tree?"

Dipper suddenly finds himself back in that odd forest, the very same one in which he had met Bill in, and although it'a only been two months, it feels like he hasn't seen it for an eternity. Flat on his back and staring up at the sky, it takes a few moments for him to realize he wasn't alone, as signified by a dim yellow glow in his bottom peripherals.

He takes several deep breaths before swallowing and sitting up. He doesn't even look at Bill as he stands.

Said demon was floating there, smiling a bit too wide for it to be genuinely chipper. "Heh! Sorry about that, kid! Didn't mean to just rip you out of a dream like that! I just wanted to show you what I managed to do here. See? Found the forest again. Fixed it all up and tossed that mansion in the trash!"

Dipper says nothing, reaching up to pull a tree branch down, examining the leaves. A fine layer of dew coats the green, some of the upper branches dripping onto him.

There's a good few seconds of silence, and Bill's grin fades. He clears his throat after a few moments, hands fidgeting with his bowtie, eye darting away. "So, uh...Do you like it? Anything I can change? Add? You liked the rivers right? And the stars?"

Dipper lets go of the branch, the tree dripping water onto the both of them. He keeps his back turned to Bill.

Bill flinches slightly, taking off his hat momentarily to pull out a handkerchief from within, starting to wipe himself dry. "Uh, well, I've also made sure your little mind minions are ok, you know, kept them from tearing themselves apart thanks to the sudden metaphysical rift. Do you think you could talk to them? A lot of them kept pelting me with rocks. One got me in the eye."

Dipper frowns, materializing a notebook and starting to write in it.

Bill goes quiet for a few more seconds, staring at the boy before drifting closer, arms crossing behind his upper angle in a poor attempt to look nonchalant. "Seriously though, you don't know how hard it was to get this whole forest back together again. It was like trying to stick together a 100 piece jigsaw puzzle with duct tape. Honestly, I'd have you thank me, but I did this all for you, on a whim. A freebie. So you honestly don't have to say anything." Another few seconds of silence. "I know, I know, you're so choked up with gratitude, you can't even talk! Don't worry, kid, I get it."

Dipper scowls, turning toward him.

Bill actually shrinks back slightly, jolting as if he was expecting the kid to hit him. He stares at Dipper for a few moments, then weakly smiles. "Aw, come on, don't give me that. I'm your friend, Pine Tree! Hey, want to take another flight? I think we can reach Everest this time!"

He lifts a hand, still glaring, and snaps his fingers. Bill's surroundings blur until he's surrounded by the disrupted space of the Nightmare Realm. The demon floats there for a few moments, motionless, before growling to himself, bricks momentarily turning a ghastly red in color. He turns violently, his arm arcing out like a whip as his claws tear a hole into the bleeding colors that surround him, glimpsing into Ford's house. "I want those agents gone, Sixer. Gone before they can intervene in anything at all, or FIND anything at all. And whatever you do, do NOT let them get close to Pine Tree."

\--

Powers's eyes narrow as he watches the video feed of the hospital on his computer, the dim grey glow of the screen being the only shred of light illuminating the inside of the car. After a moment, he sighs, shutting the laptop and starting the car's engine. "The boy was there. Standing a few feet away, and keeping Gideon quiet."

Trigger nods. "He's definitely hiding something. The only question is what."

Powers starts to drive away from the hospital, his face intensively contemplative. "Not just them; this whole town is. After all, there has to be a reason why he felt a need to shut that child up. And I suspect it has something to do with whatever this place is hiding." He glances at his partner. "It's official, though. We need more answers."

His fists clench on the steering wheel, eyes narrowing. "And that kid just made himself a prime target."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, and just so you know, it would be appreciated if you would also check out our fanfic "Cosmic Consequences". Let's just say...it will be important. *wink*


	20. The Rip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Been real busy! Hope you leave a lot of comments!

The Mindscape was oddly quiet this night, though it was something Ford was used to at this point in time; it often took a few moments for Bill to show up, wether he was busy or because of him wanting to be dramatic. Either way, he had no choice but to wait, sitting in a surprisingly comfortable spinny chair and sipping at a cup of Cosmic Tea.

He nearly chokes as a door-like image appears in the corner of his eye, the rectangle swinging open and a flash of yellow bolting through it. Said bolt of yellow crashes to the ground right at his feet, where it lay motionless. Definitely not an entrance Bill would be seen performing. He roughly swallows his sip of tea, lowering the cup into his lap. "What happened this time?"

"I'll fucking tell you what happened." Bill's grumbling was severely muffled when face-down in the dirt like that, but he soon sat up, dusting off his front and adjusting his hat. "He drop-kicked me."

Ford's lips twitch. "He... drop kicked you?" He fights the smirk and giggle fighting to escape. "Out of a dream. He drop kicked you out of his dream."

Bill growls as he stands, body turning red with anger. He floats up to meet Ford's eyes, glowering at his partner. "Can we concentrate here? We have a serious problem! It's been a week, and the kid is REFUSING to talk to me! I'm trying everything; deer teeth, exploding gnomes, disembodied heads that tell horrible jokes, and there's nothing! I've got only a month left before this plan, our plan, goes up in flames, and it's all because he won't talk to me!"

Ford can't help but snicker, dramatically throwing a hand over his face. "Oh, fate's cruel irony! A demon-" Another giggle interrupts him. "-might have to repent for his sins!"

Bill's eye twitched, his surface glowing even redder, and soon, steam was radiating off of his surface like water. A enraged scream is heard and within seconds, he's three times Ford's size, body split open to reveal black, gnarled fangs that drool with acidic obsidian liquid. A golden hand snags Ford by the collar of his sweater, yanking him out of the chair and towards the demon, who looks ready to murder. "You better be fucking drunk right now, Sixer. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't break your metaphysical neck like a chicken."

Ford chuckles, lightly pecking Bill's hand. "Maybe a little tipsy, but not quite drunk. But I'm serious. Maybe you should just apologize to him. That's what I would want if I were him."

Bill freezes, his eye going wide, and suddenly that monstrous form is gone, and Ford falls to the ground. Bill is a few feet away, arms crossed tightly as he fumes to himself, body still tinted red, but in a more turbulent way. His eye was glaring forward, shoulders hunched, as if pouting. "Quit doing that."

"You put him into a situation where he nearly died." Ford picks himself up, brushing off his legs. "He looked... traumatized, after it. And you told me it changed his dreamscape. That's never happened before. It..." He sighs. "I know you hate admitting it, but this is one of the times where you might not entirely understand humans. At the very least not this one."

Bill whirls around, throwing his hands up in the air. "But he was NEVER in danger! Not while I was around! Doesn't he get that I was watching over him and making sure he didn't die? Even when i knew that wasn't even a possibility?! I knew that he would stop the ghost, I knew Shooting Star would bludgeon Gideon, I knew there was no way of him dying, and still, i was there!"

"Well, maybe he's never really had that before. With what he's said about his parents...." He shrugs, a worried look on his face. "Maybe he's only ever had Mabel to rely on."

The demon pauses, his form finally fading back to yellow. "....He told me something, before I accidentally let the whole ghost thing slip. In hindsight, I should've expected this sort of reaction..." He sighs, hands coming up to rub his eye, suddenly looking a lot more tired then he has in eons.

Ford frowns. "What did he say?"

There was a few moments of silence. "...He told me about something that happened back home. A real shitbag of a bully, one that used the kid to get good grades, as well as a punching bag. Then, one day...The bastard tried choking him out."

Ford's face drops. "You're kidding me."

"Pine Tree was practically shit-faced on Cosmic Tea, Sixer. He couldn't have lied even if he wanted to." Bill sits down in a conjured chair, not even putting any effort into making it fancy, sighing. "...Fuck..."

Ford leans back, rubbing his forehead. "Pretty good way of putting it, yeah.... Damn. I thought he had been bullied before, but...." He shakes his head. "You have to apologize, Bill. He must feel so betrayed. He was probably opening up to you about personal things he'd never tell me, and then you told him you wanted the ghost to be difficult. It probably sounded like you wanted him to get choked. And, no." He stops him as he starts speaking. "I understand you didn't mean it that way, but that doesn't really matter here. What matters is how Dipper took your words. You can explain what you meant a hundred times and it wouldn't matter."

Bill is silent for a good 10 seconds, and he looks downwards, his expression looking defeated, for the lack of a better term. "...He's not gonna listen to me, Stanford. He doesn't want to. You...You gotta help me. Talk to him, take him out on an adventure, just...Try and convince him to let me talk to him."

Ford watches him for a moment, then sighs and nods. "I'll see what I can do. No guarantees, though."

Bill nods, then waves his hand to summon a martini. He chugs it in one go, then another. If there's anything about Bills, is that they're all severely alcoholic. Ford watches sadly. He wouldn't be able to help him now, not in any proper way at least.

\--

When Dipper woke up, he woke up with a grimace on his face. It had been over a week since the agents arrival, and Bill had been pestering him non-stop, every single night just bursting into his dreams and either babbling away like a frantic chicken or tossing random, usually bloody objects at his face and calling them "gifts".

He could do without any of it. Bill obviously didn't understand what was going on or how to deal it, and all the random gifts and jibbering were starting to just piss him off worse. He had snapped at Ford only a few days in, though he wasn't entirely keen about him either. That shouting fest after he got back... geez. The man probably didn't even want to hear what he had to say.

He sighs, rubbing his face, dropping back down onto his pillow, and burrowing back into his blankets, grumbling to himself. He doesn't even feel like getting out of bed today. Maybe he could fake being sick, but that would likely get Mabel to hang out with him all day and he really just wants time for himself right now.

He stares at the wall for a bit, at a bit of a loss for what to do. Down below, there was a knock on the door. He sighs and sits up, waiting to see what comes next. There was the muffled sound of talking, low and deep, probably Stan. Then the talking stopped only to be replaced with footsteps walking up the stairs. Then a knock came at the door. "Dipper? Are you awake?"

He exhales. "Yeah."

"Can I come in?"

"Um." He glances at Mabel, who is splayed haphazardly across her bed. "I'll come out."

"Very well."

He slips out of bed and finds some clean clothes, tiptoeing over to the door. Ford was standing there, arms crossed behind his back, looking rather uncomfortable. Dipper raises a brow. "What's up?"

Ford shifts, a hand carding through his hair. "Well, I've been meaning to apologize to you about that...incident last week. I'm afraid I was under a lot of stress and was...a bit tense. So, um, I was wondering if you would like to come with me on an expedition, today?"

Dipper shifts, crossing his arms. "I... dunno. Mabel was kinda freaked out by the agents. Maybe if she could come with...?"

Ford blinks at the proposal, but then mulls it over, finding himself nodding. "Yes, that could be acceptable."

"Oh." Dipper glances back at his room, brow raised. "Um. She's still sleeping. Is it time sensitive?"

Ford snickers, a small grin ghosting his lips. "I can wait an hour or two, don't worry.

"Alright. I'll come by when she wakes up."

"Right." He walks back down the stairs.

"Hey, Ford?"

"Yes?" The man glances back at him.

"Thanks for, uh, the apology. We're both kinda at fault."

Ford stares, but then nods, looking slightly shameful. "Yeah, I suppose we are.."

"See you later." He turns back toward his room.

"Right." Ford continues walking down the stairs.

Dipper returns to his bed, crawling back under the covers. It wasn't long however before a soft yawn broke him out of the sleepy daze he was falling into, Mabel slowly waking up. She rubs her eyes, glancing over at her twin with unfocused eyes. "Dipper?"

He yawns and waves. "Morning, Mabes."

"What...What time is it?" She glances at the window blearily in an attempt to peek through the curtains.

Dipper hums and glances at his watch. "Ten-ish."

"...Too early." She slumps back against her pillow.

He chuckles and stretches a little, shifting onto his stomach.

"..What should we do today?" She glances at him, kicking her legs lazily.

"Hm. Ford came by asking if we wanted to go out with him."

"Really? Where to?" She blinks, becoming a lot more alert, sitting up.

"Oh, um, I didn't think to ask him. He just said an expedition."

"..Hmm...Do you want to go?" She frowns at him.

He shrugs. "Beats doing nothing."

"Well, better get ready then." She smiles at him after a moment, sitting up and heading toward her dresser.

He groans as he sits up. "Want sugary coffee or anything?"

"3 tablespoons, and chocolate syrup. Maybe whipped cream."

Dipper wrinkles his nose, but lets a smile grow across his lips. "Gross."

"Hey, I don't make fun of you, Mr. I-Mix-My-Coffee-With-RedBull."

"Heheh." He ambles out of the room and down the stairs.

Mabel's grin drops as soon as he leaves the room, and she rubs over her face. "Ok, ok...Calm down, Mabes, get ahold of yourself..." She takes a breath. "Maybe going is the best choice. That way, nothing bad happens."

It takes her a few moments to stop trembling, and it wasn't long before she got herself dressed up and was walking down the stairs. The smell of coffee has already permeated the lower floor. Dipper swings his feet while sipping at his mug. A plate of waffles sit in front of him. She smiles softly at the sight, walking over to the kitchen counter and grabbing a few waffles herself. "Did you get my coffee?"

Dipper grins at her. "Your coffee is here on the table."

"Just checking." She smirks as she walks over to said table, sitting across from him.

He pours syrup onto his waffles, setting down his mug. "I wonder where Ford's gonna take us."

Maybe we'll go gnome hunting or something." She grabs her mug of coffee, which is coated in chocolate syrup and whipped cream, slurping down a mouthful and sighing in relief as she feels the caffeine enter her system.

He chuckles, though it clips off a little short. "Maybe. I think they're pretty deep in the woods, though."

Mabel winces slightly upon realizing her mistake, rubbing her eyes. "Aw, shit, sorry. Ignore me and my stupid brain, Dips."

"It's okay. Honestly, so much has happened recently, I've almost forgotten about the gnomes."

"Yeah..." Her expression becomes unusually melancholic, almost nervous. "..Dipper...Was something happening? Why did Ford practically drag you into his house a week ago?"

He frowns at his plate, silent for a moment. "He... didn't really like how I just wandered off. I mean, he understood why, kinda, but, well, you know. The woods aren't exactly the safest place."

She sat there for a moment, fists gripping her mug so tightly her knuckles turned white. "I..."

He sighs and looks aside, his face softening slightly. "...There's something going on here. I... I don't want to involve you. This won't be like last time. I promise."

...A tear falls down her cheek as her heart twists violently in her chest. Guilt and shame were turning her blood to poison, and it made her feel like she was dying.

"...If you don't want to go, you don't have to." Dipper stares at his plate, food now cold. He wasn't all too hungry to begin with.

"...No, I..I have to. I don't want something to happen when I'm not there."

He nods, then tries for a grin. "I'll go tell Ford you're awake then."

"..Im sorry...I don't want this to go badly. I don't want us to have to run again."

He reaches over and takes her hand. "Don't worry. We won't. Trust me."

After a few moments, she squeezes his hand. "Ok.."

He stands and lets go of her hand. "I'll get Ford."

She nods, taking another sip of her coffee. Dipper hesitates for a moment before heading out, stretching his arms above his head as he walked toward Ford's house. There was a shadow seemingly moving back and forth in the view of the window, as if busy or hustling about. Dipper raises a brow, watching for a moment before hurrying up the porch and knocking on the door. "Grunkle Ford?"

"Just a moment!"

"..Ok?" He raises an eyebrow, standing there.

It wasn't long before the door opened, and Ford was standing there with a grin. "Sorry about that; was getting a few things in order. Ready to go?"

"Yeah. Mabel's finishing up breakfast." He shifts. "What were you getting in order?"

"Oh, a few tools just in case we run into anything. My magic can do a lot, but it can't exactly stave off a Multibear."

"A bear with multiple heads and arms. Lives in a mountaintop."

"Oh. Okay." He nods as if he should have known that already.

"So...Is Mabel ok with going?"

"Yeah." He shifts, feeling a bit awkward. "So, where are we going?"

"Oh, well, I honestly just wanted to show you around the forest more; I understand most of your experiences with it wasn't exactly the best, so, I wanted to change that."

Dipper blinks, then smiles softly. "Thanks, Grunkle Ford."

Ford smiles, chuckling as he ruffles his hair. "No problem."

He giggles slightly, pushing at his hand. "Quit it!"

Ford laughs as well. "So, shall we get going?"

"Sure. I'll grab Mabel."

"Right." He nods.

Dipper returns to Stan's house, sighing slightly. Mabel was already standing up at the dinner table when he walked in. Her expression wasn't apathetic per say, more like..cautious. He blinks at the sight. "...You ok?"

"Yeah, just...preparing myself."

He frowns slightly. "..Okay. Ford said he just wanted to show us some of the forest we haven't seen yet."

"Yeah, I figured. You think it'll be safe?"

"Definitely. I mean, Ford's gonna be there, and he knows what he's doing around here." He lets a small grin quirk his lips.

"Right...I shouldn't let myself get nervous. Sorry." She smiles weakly back.

"Don't worry about it. Come on." He gestures for her to follow him. She nods, stepping off the porch and taking his hand. Her eyes flick over to Ford's house. The man is exiting his house, a small pack strapped to his back. Dipper waves as he turns and walks toward them.

Mabel waves after a moment as well, smiling awkwardly. "So, are we looking for anything in particular?"

"Maybe a few Eye Bats, or Merpeople, or something else that might cross our way." Ford waves a hand loosely. "I know a few caves that have a few, uh, surprises inside."

"Eyebats?" Mabel raises a brow in confusion.

"Giant eyeballs with wings." He grins, looking a bit sheepish. "They're pretty adorable, to be honest."

"Somehow I doubt that." She chuckles a bit.

Ford shrugs, though his grin widens a bit. "Maybe. Let's get going though. We don't want the sun to fall before we get back."

The twins both nod in agreement. He leads them down the path toward the rest of the town, keeping close to the left hand side. Mabel's eyes were darting back and forth in an almost rapid pattern, while Dipper was surprisingly calm and relaxed, despite all of the harrowing encounters he's faced in these very woods. Ford turns onto a slightly overgrown trail leading into the forest. "I haven't been down this way in a while, so there might be a few vines in the way."

"Should be no problem as long as there are no thorns. Can vines grow thorns?" Mabel glances around.

Ford chuckles. "Not the one's we'll be dealing with."

"Are they magic or something then?"

"No, no. They're just normal weeds."

"Right. Yeah." She nods to herself, gripping Dipper's hand a bit harder.

Dipper offers a grin. "I wouldn't be surprised to find magical vines."

That got her to laugh slightly. "Heh. What would they even do though? Sprout glowing flowers or something?"

"There are a few that do that." Ford taps his chin. "I know of a flower that changes color every time you touch it."

Mabel grins a bit wider at that. "Wow, really? That seems pretty-OH SHIT!" She practically tackles Dipper down to the ground just as a scaly figure the size of a large dog comes barreling out of the forest. Dirt was kicked up as it ran around, and just when Mabel looked up, a white and pink blurr flashed in her vision. She yelped, sitting up as she felt a painful yanking in her hair, only to freeze as she heard very familiar, very panicked squeaking. Oh no.

Dipper pushes himself to his feet just in time to tackle the basilisk to the ground. Talons rake across his skin before the beast goes still, croaking curiously and nuzzling his shoulder. Then, upon hearing the squeaking, it pops its head up and scrambles to its feet. Mabel immediately scrambles to stand up as well, backing up hastily as she clamps her hands to her head in an attempt to cover the Axolotl tangled in her hair. Said little lizard was trembling and squeaking up a storm like it always does, looking terrified.

Ford, having just turned to find the twins in various states of disarray with one of them weighing down a sightless basilisk with his own body weight, stares. "Why is... Why is there a basilisk here?"

Mabel, wearing quite the deer in headlights expression, stares at the basilisk with apprehension. "Uhh...Remember how Dipper told you about Gideon smashing the eggs? He may have, uh, caught one."

"And it hatched." Dipper yelps as the basilisk finally manages to stand, unsteadily wobbling in place. "Bessie! No! Stop!"

"I think it wants the Axolotl." She pets at said lizard in order to calm it, not even trying to take it from it's perch.

"An axolotl?" He looks at her, upside down from where he clings to Bessie's front. "Weird."

"Yeah, weird.." She backs up some more, only to yelp and whirl around when she bumps into Ford. The Axolotl squeaks again, loudly, almost angrily.

Ford raises a brow, stepping back. "Definitely a weird axolotl. Maybe, uh..." He glances at Dipper. "She can't see right?"

"Nope."

"Maybe if she smells you with the axolotl, she'll calm down?" He almost sounds uncomfortable, sending confused glances to Mabel and Dipper.

"Maybe?" Mabel shifts, glancing over at Dipper nervously.

"Worth a try." He shifts to stand, and digs his heels into the ground. Mabel slowly lowers her hands, going absolutely still, eyes trained on Bessie.

Dipper stumbles as she presses forward, grumbling. "I don't know how long I can hold her, Mabes."

Taking a deep breath, she began to inch her way toward Bessie, holding out a hand for her to smell. The basilisk sniffs the air, twisting her head to the side and flickering out her tongue. "It's me, girl...It's Mabel." She pats her snout.

She rumbles, nuzzling into her hand. Her tongue pokes out a few times, and Dipper relaxes his hold on her. "Ok, I think she's good."

Mabel relaxes, reaching up to gently disentangle the Axolotl, only to pause when it squeaks in protest. "Heh, ok. You can stay up there for now."

Ford steps closer. "I don't think I've ever seen a blind basilisk before."

Dipper grins a bit sheepishly. "Yeah. I think it's from the egg being removed from the nest." Bessie slips under his arm and stretches her head toward Ford.

Ford hums, stretching a hand out for her to sniff. "I see. Why didn't you tell me sooner? When did she hatch? How did she get out here? Have you been feeding her at all?"

Dipper chuckles. "Lots of questions. Um... She hatched a week or so after I got her egg, and we've been feeding her bits of our breakfasts and bacon. She really likes bacon." She trills, turning back to Dipper and licking his hands. "She probably snuck out the back or something. She's figured out doorhandles."

Ford blinks at that last sentence, and he bites his lip for a few moments. "..She doesn't go near the town, right? It would be..a tad problematic if the agents saw her eating the scraps out a trash bin or sneaking into someone's house."

"She's never done this before. Gotten out, I mean. We've made a sort of leash for her, but she doesn't really like going out all too much." Dipper shrugs, looking a tad unsure.

Ford's eyes narrow slightly, as if deep in thought. "Hmm...It was chasing after that Axolotl, right?" He turns to face Mabel.

Mabel blinks, then looks up, frowning. "Yeah."

"...Those things shouldn't be up this north, even in the summer. They don't migrate, so it's not like its just passing through, and even if there was a colony, they couldn't slip past the barrier..." He starts to pace a bit, grumbling to himself.

"Aren't scientists trying to smuggle them over the border or something?" Dipper snaps his fingers as a game for Bessie. "They're critically endangered, after all."

All of them are suddenly interrupted by another loud squeak, and all of their heads turn to see another axolotl perched on a branch of a fallen log. It stares before turning tail and scampering away. The basilisk hisses, frills along her neck fluttering before she races after the axolotl. Dipper is knocked over in the process, falling to the ground in a jumbled heap. Mabel reflexively ducks, and Ford dives out of the way.   
Dipper quickly sits up. "Bessie!" He reaches and grabs Mabel's hand, racing after the basilisk.

"Wait! Kids!" Ford scrambles after them, eyes wide.

"How can she go so fast and not run into anything!?" Dipper leaps over a fall tree, reaching with a free hand to hold his cap on his head.

"Probably because she's a basilisk?!" Mabel stumbles a few times, nearly dragging him down in the process.

Bessie screeches, snapping at the axolotl as it scurries and leaps from tree to rock to tree. Said lizard screams in fear as it runs farther and farther away...Only for it to suddenly disappear. The basilisk suddenly slams into a shimmering wall, falling over. She stumbles to her feet, shaking her head. All three of them skid to a stop as best they can, Mabel loosing her footing and falling over into a dirty heap. "Oof!"

Dipper stares ahead of himself for a moment, unsure of what exactly he was seeing, and then turns to Mabel. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..Just..Lost my footing." She sits up, blinking in shock. "..Where did the lizard go?"

"I don't really know." He walks toward the barrier, reaching a hand for something he couldnt see. A few hesitant shuffles forward and his hand meets with a bendable surface. His mind flashes back to one of the first conversations he had with Bill, when the demon had told him of a sort of barrier that surrounded the town, one that kept the supernatural elements trapped inside. Was this it? He presses his hand further into the barrier, which only provides about two inches of give, and frowns. Only a few inches separate his hand from outside of town.

Ford watches with a soft frown, humming to himself as he walks closer to the barrier as well. "...How did it get out? The magnetism is so strong it won't even let a weirdly shaped jelly bean through."

Dipper blinks, glancing down toward his feet and scanning along the forest floor. "Could there be a hole somewhere?"

"..I think we would've seen a hole big enough that an Axolotl would pass through." He presses his hand towards the barrier, but slowly drags it down.

Dipper follows his motion and drags his hand along the base. "Axolotls aren't all too big. Well, tall. And they can squeeze through things rather easily."

They both suddenly feel a breeze against their palms as they crouch, the hot tingling derived from the energy the barrier was giving off suddenly fading. Ford's eyes go wide. "..It's ripped.."

"It's not..." Dipper lowers his voice. "It's not supposed to be ripped, right?"

"No, not at all. Dipper, I don't think I have to tell you how bad this is, right?"

"Of course not." He frowns, exhaling. "I didn't even think this COULD degrade, though. Why would it degrade? Time? Too much weirdness?"

"I'm not sure. But we need to seal it back up, and fast; if the barrier ends up collapsing then the whole town will be exposed to the outside."

"CAN we seal it, though?" Dipper looks up at him, grim. "And who's to say there aren't multiple tears?"

"...We probably have to sweep the area then." He sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"Either way, it's not going to be as strong as it's been in the past."

"I know. And that's what worries me." He stands back up, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Dipper stands with him, then turns to Bessie as she whines. "Hm. She must've hit the barrier pretty hard."

"At least it's not so weak that it lets a creature as big as a baby basilisk through. But anything smaller could possibly slip through. What's perplexing is the axolotl..." He turns to face Mabel, who still has the tiny lizard in her hair. "The only way for it to be inside the barrier is for it to have magical properties. And if it does, then it can't pass through it." His eyes narrow slightly, and Mabel's heart skips a beat.

She shifts, trying not to reflexively reach up and comfort the poor lizard, who was shaking like a leaf. "Uhh...So, what does that mean? Are you gonna run a test on it or something?"

Dipper frowns at Ford. "Maybe we should worry about the concussed basilisk before we even consider testing on axolotls."

The man blinks, before nodding, rubbing at his face. "Right, right. Sorry."

Bessie grumbles and sits down as Dipper takes her head in his hands. "Can you heal her?"

Ford crouches down next to him, humming. He wasn't quite sure what to do. "...I'll certainly try." His hands flare up with the purple flames, and he gently presses them to the basilisk's temples.

She pulls back, her tongue flopping out of her mouth for a moment before relaxing and nudging his hands. Ford hums at that, and pulls his hands back. "Well, looks like she'll be fine." Bessie suddenly goes still, the skin around her eyes glowing a soft yellow.

Dipper's eyes widen for a moment, and then he turns away, frowning slightly. "Awesome."

Bessie seems to deflate, head drooping and ears going back. Ford gives her a small pat on the snout before turning to Dipper. "Do you want to go back?"

"Um." He glances at Mabel. "Yeah, we probably should. What time is it?"

Mabel blinks, eyes going slightly wide. "Huh? Oh, uh.." She checks the clock on her phone. "...12:45."

"Yeah, let's get Bessie back." Dipper glances at Ford. "Can you carry her?"

He nods, proceeding to hoist Bessie over a shoulder. The basilisk seems to grumble and hiss but put up no struggle. Ford chuckles to himself. "Yes, I know concussions are annoying."

Dipper starts walking, managing to keep his eyes from rolling. Mabel had finally coaxed the axolotl from her hair, now letting it balance on one arm while petting it with the other. She was smiling a bit as it squeaked, nuzzling at her hand. "Heh..What should I name him?"

"Hm?" Dipper glances over at her. "Oh, um... I dunno. Im not the best with names."

"...I think I'll name him...Squeaky!" She grins a bit wider at that, bopping the lizard on the snout gently.

Squeaky seemingly goes crosseyed for a moment, and then tilts his head and sticks out his tongue. She giggles at that, petting him again. "I'm gonna see if there's anything in Stan's house that I can put him in. Like a tank or something."

"He'd probably really like that." Dipper offers her a grin from ahead.

"I hope so." She jogs toward the clearing as soon as it comes into sight.

Dipper watches her pass him, then shakes his head. "I'm gonna help Ford take care of Bessie. You find a tank for Squeaky."

"ROGER!" She gives him a thumbs-up and a wink.

She runs off with her chirping lizard as Dipper turns toward Ford's house.  
The man gestures for Dipper to follow, and soon, he stumbles into his home, setting Bessie down on the leather chair. Dipper leans against the nearest doorframe and crosses his arms, not looking at him.

"...Dipper, we need to talk." Ford straightens up, his eyes concealed behind his glasses.

The boy sighs and leans his head back against the frame. His eyes focus on the miniscule grains of wood across from him. "Okay."

"....As you can imagine, being the master of the Mindscape, and having the ability of Infinite Sight, Bill has many allies, all of them spanning across the infinite realities that exist in our cosmos." He moves over to a shelf, grabbing what looks to be a scroll, and walks back over to Dipper, holding it out. "Because of these abilities, Bill is not only seen as a god with almost limitless potential, but also one of the strongest beings to ever exist....But there's always someone to rival those with power."

"Okay." He shrugs and glances over the scroll. "Who's the big bad?"

Ford sighs slightly and unfurls it for him to see; a brilliantly painted scripture of what looks to be an axolotl, body wreathed in godly light, as well as an inferno of white flames. Tucked between two tiny pairs of claws was a golden triangle, and the lizard seemed to be staring down at it with slitted, featureless eyes. "It's called the Axolotl, a being that can peer into all realities and timelines. An ancient, immortal power that seeks to find Bills, and destroy them."

For a moment, Dipper stares, biting the inside of his lip. "That's... a bit not good."

"Exactly. And there's this...thing, I'm worried about now. Bill's Infinite Sight is...finicky, to say the least; while he can peer into minds, dreams, and even timelines with ease, dimensions is another thing entirely. The only way for him to peer through into another reality is through his own image." He untucks his necklace from his sweater as an example. "So...If the same logic applies to the Axolotl..."

"Then the Axolotl can see through axolotls and their images." Dipper nods slowly.

"Exactly. Dipper, I..." He trails off before sighing as he leans against a wall, looking down at the floor for a few moments. "...If my theory is true, and...the Axolotl has the capacity of peering into this world...Mabel...she could be.."

His expression hardens. "She wouldn't. Maybe the Axolotl wants to use her somehow, but she would never betray me."

Ford holds up his hands in a pacifying manner. "I know, I know, that's not what I'm saying. I just....Just..." He deflates a bit. "...Just keep an eye on her, ok?"

He eyes Ford for a moment, then huffs and shrugs. "Sure, whatever. Can I go now?"

"No, not just yet." He sighs, then walks out of view, and judging by the sound of a fridge opening, he was in the kitchen. "I....realize now this topic is a tad unwisely timed, but it needs to be said." He walks in with two cans of soda, handing one to the boy. "You need to talk to Bill, Dipper."

Dipper wrinkles his nose and hunches in on himself slightly. "Guh. Talk to the demon that somehow reached the peg right below paying for my assassination? He made that ghost way more powerful than a level ten, Ford! I nearly died, Mabel nearly died, the town could have been destroyed! All in the name of fun. He wanted it to be a bit more 'interesting.' How many other crazy things happened because he was bored? Did he give Gideon his amulet because it would make things harder for me? Did he just make up the trials as some lame excuse to pick me over Gideon? He could have just said, 'Hey, guys, Dipper Pines is the right guy for the job, trust me!' and everything would be fine." He pops open the can and sips at it. "So, yeah, sure, talk to the guy who nearly had me killed. Sounds like fun. I'll tell you all about it when it happens."

Ford stares, then sighs again. "..Dipper...He isn't human. Do you realize that?"

"Of course I do." He shifts, crossing his arms and looking away again. "He's still been conversing with humans for decades, though. At the very least. Shouldn't he know not to try and have his - his future disciples killed?"

The man nods a bit at that, opening his own can up as well. "Well...He's been waiting for you for a long time. Was practically buzzing with excitement when you found his cave. Heh...I think he just got so wound up, he wanted to...see what you could do. He saw all the timelines, every single one, and knew for a fact you'd be ok. That's what he was focusing on."

He exhales, leaning his head back again. Part of him wanted to continue arguing, but the rest of him was just tired of being angry. "...You really think he didn't mean any of it? Didn't get any... satisfaction from what happened?"

"No, he didn't. He just did what he wanted because he forgot that you're just a kid who would be affected by his actions. But now he realizes that, and he wants to make it up to you."

He goes silent for a moment, then sips at his drink. "Okay. I'll talk to him. But there's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

Ford blinks at that, but nods. "Yes, what is it?"

"The barrier. We might want to try and fix it, but it's gonna break at some point." He sloshes his drink around in the can. "And with the agents poking around, we dont have much leeway to go walking around in the forests whenever we want to. It'll look too suspicious."

Ford hums to himself, taking another sip before speaking. "Yes, that is rather troubling...If the agents stay around for much longer, we'll...have to move ahead of schedule. Things are already on thin ice as it is."

"Yeah." He shifts. "I need you to do nothing with them, and I need you to trust me."

The man stares, eyes wide in shock, and he opens his mouth, but then hesitates. "...Ok, Dipper."

Dipper visibly relaxes. "Thank you."

"Anything else?" Ford raises a brow.

He thinks for a minute, pursing his lips, then shakes his head.

"Ok...You can leave if you want."

He nods and turns to walk out of the cabin, but stops with one foot out the door. "Erm. Bessie might try to open the fridge to eat. Just a warning."

He gives a thumbs-up. "Heheh. Ok."

Dipper grins lightly and walks down the steps of the porch. The door swings shut behind him.

Ford's grin immediately drops, and he sighs. "...I shouldn't follow him. I don't want him to think of me as a liar.."

"...He's up to something." A shadowy hand pats his hair. "I doubt he'll tell us outright until it's too late."

"...I know that..My only concern is if this plan of his fails..." He sighs, sitting down in a chair.

"I'm still seeing us succeeding." Bill follows him, glancing at the sleeping basilisk as her tail twitches.

"You know just as well as I that a single decision or action can change the timeline faster then one can blink. I..I'm not used to blind trust. It sets me on edge." He stares down at the floor, face rather grim.

Bill floats over to a window, peering out at the forest. "Well... I'm not gonna stop you, but I'm not gonna watch the kid either. He notices me even when I'm not looking at him."

"...Fine. You just concentrate on pulling yourself together; you're not even in this room and I can already tell you had at least 20 margaritas."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

Ford rolls his eyes before placing his soda down and walking outside, eyes scanning around the forest edge. The kid left barely a trace on the forest, but Ford could just barely see his vest further off. He hums, and carefully starts to follow, trying to be as quiet as he can. The sun slants over the horizon and into his eyes as he makes his way through the forest. He crosses a stream, then around a clearing, and then over a small hill before crossing another stream. His back slowly warms as he follows Dipper's path.

He narrows his eyes, straining to see the boy at all. How did he lose him? It wasn't possible! Wait... Was that...? Fucking- He takes a breath and walks forward, stepping out of the forest and onto the cleared path heading up to his cabin. Did he really just get tricked by a twelve year old into walking in a massive circle?

"Heh...That kid is one sneaky little weasel...It's kind of concerning actually." He chuckles to himself, shaking his head.

\--

Mabel sighs to herself as she collapses on her bed, rubbing at her eyes with a groan. It had been a long day, not just with picking up all kinds of pet supplies for Squeaky, but her friends had wanted to hang out. She had gotten so caught up in things she almost completely forgot about the rift in the barrier. That could be useful, somehow. Maybe she could find a way to tell that homeless guy. McGucket? Was that his name? Hm. Oh, well. She glances to the side and sees Squeaky happily exploring his new home, occasionally blowing a stream of bubbles.

She couldn't help but frown softly upon seeing the bed across from her being untouched. Dipper was probably still out there....It was too late, wasn't it?

She glances out the window, grimacing not only at the triangular form on the glass but the dark sky as well. It must have been close to ten, at the earliest. She sits up just enough to tug the curtains closed over the window. She then sighs, turning to face Squeaky. "...He's probably crawled right back now..."

Squeaky swims over to her, trilling sadly and bumping the glass with his nose.

"..I tried. I tried so damn hard. But he still went back to them. To...the demon." She looks down at the floor.

The axolotl watches her, pawing the glass as if wanting to comfort her. She lays back on the bed, pulling up the sheets as she dims the lights. "..Wonder how this will end...I don't want to have to run this time. Not alone anyway."

Squeaky releases an impressive bubble, which makes a funny plopping noise when it hits the surface.

She couldn't help but smile, sighing to herself after a moment. "..Boy, my life is a wreck.." Her eyes close, nestling deeper into the covers in order to help get to sleep faster.

After a moment, Squeaky returns to perusing his home, this time chirping quietly and looking for a place of rest.

Unbeknownst to either of them, in the distance, blue lights began to flash and flare from the forest's floors.


	21. The Double-Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here! Another chapter! Please leave comments!

The moon hangs high in the sky, a slow breeze pulling in greyish clouds. Dipper quietly tiptoes into Stan's shack, making his way up to his room.  
He held a small towel, wiping at his hands furiously in an attempt to clean off all the slick black fluid, which also happened to be staining his clothes. He grumbles quietly, going into the bathroom and washing his hands. He finally returns to his room and changes into a clean pair of clothes.

He freezes momentarily as he sees Mabel on her bed, but relaxes upon seeing she was fast asleep. His eyes drift toward the now glowing fish tank where Squeaky was floating, and briefly felt his heart clench. It... Maybe it means nothing. He exhales and sits down in his bed, glancing at the curtain in front of the window. He purses his lips, then glances at the tank and back to the curtain. "Okay, fine."

Standing, he sneaks behind the curtain and curls up on the layer of pillows there. His eyes close as he feels the familiar tingle creep up his neck, and the last thing he felt before slumber was a small hand cupping his cheek.

\--

An ethereal breeze flows through his hair as he opens his eyes, cheek tingling slightly from the ghostly contact. He was back in that forest once more, the faint sound of a babbling brook mixing in with the swaying of the trees, creating a serene atmosphere. Bill was nowhere to be seen, at least not at first. But he was there.

Dipper shifts, an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. Usually Bill would be pestering him already, or lobbing animal parts at him. "So... um..." Should he just start talking, or wait for Bill to do something? The wind blows through the clearing again, the trees swaying uncertainly.

There was a small sigh, and when Dipper turned around, there was Bill, standing quietly with his arms at his sides. He was looking downward, unmoving, looking quite melancholy. And..his eye was really red. Bloodshot even.

He internally winces - which is to say their surroundings shake slightly. A part of him wanted to stay angry, but the rest of him knew it would do no good. "You don't....Look so good."

"Oh, that's just the side effect of drinking 10, 20...67 margaritas in the span of a single week. I've gone through worse." He rubs his eye softly as he walks toward Dipper carefully, stumbling and swaying ever so slightly.

"Oh, uh, I didn't realize you, uh, drank." He looks him over, then stretches out a hand to him as he gets within arms distance.

Bill sighs as he sees the outstretched hand before grabbing it with his own. "Yeah..I, uh...Have a bit of a problem with it...."

Dipper leads him closer, not trusting the triangle on his own two feet. "Could have just told me you felt bad instead of drinking."

The demon chuckles softly as he finally sits down next to the boy, leaning against him a bit. "Was trying to; why do you think I was giving you gifts?"

"Gifts?" He raises a brow.

"The deer teeth? The beating heart? The talking eyeball that spouted nothing but Latin backwards?" He huffs slightly, almost looking offended but seemed too tired to care. "I was trying to make up my mistake by giving you...Giving you..." He sighs again, but this time the area under his eye changes color. It actually turns...pink?

For a moment, Dipper simply stares at him. Then his face flushes and he forces himself to look away and clear his throat. "Ah, I, um...." He recalls how they sat in his throne, the delicate touches, the whispers. "I didn't realize."

"Heh..It's ok...Demon romance isn't always the most obvious.." He's shifting a bit, arms crossing, hunching over like he's ashamed. After a few moments, he presses a claw into the dirt and begins writing.

'SORRY'.

Dipper relaxes a little. "Thanks. I guess I am too. Cold shoulder was a dick move."

"..Heh..I understand why now; it took a tipsy 68 year old to get me to realize that..." He turns, hesitantly wrapping his arms around his waist. The triangle was so tiny he could fit in Dipper's lap.

After a moment, the boy drew him closer, hugging him back.

"...So..." The blush seems to have faded somewhat, but it was still visible on the demon's bricks. His voice was quiet, unsure, almost meek. He asked a silent question, the context in the way that single word rung in the air.

Dipper stares ahead of himself for a moment, thumbs rubbing up and down against Bill's back. A small grin lifts the corners of his mouth. "Yes."

Bill's eye darts up to glance at the boy in shock, blinking. "R-Really? You sure? Isn't this supposed to be an extreme human taboo?"

Dipper chuckles. "Yeah. It kind of is. But why should I care about that? Humanity's never quite liked me, Bill."

He grins up at the boy, before hugging him once again, starting to purr, sounding like a geometric cat. Dipper hums quietly as he traces patterns onto Bill's back. There were so many different things he wanted to ask and say, but...Maybe tomorrow. He could wait.

Bill's eye opened after a few seconds, slowly, and he sighs after a moment. He really didn't want to spoil the moment, but he was still trying to work everything off, so his mind wasn't working right. "...Kid...I...What are you planning here? I-I know you asked Sixer to not do anything but...I can't have this falling apart.."

"I..." Dipper sighs. "If I tell anyone what I'm doing, they'll act weird and it'll be noticeable. If I you, Ford will beg to figure out what I'm doing and it'll throw everything off. I know what I'm doing though. I just need you to trust me."

"..I...I'll try...Fuck-" He raises his hand to wipe stubbornly at his eye, which was starting to moisten with tears. "God dammit...I just...Trust is not something that...I've dealt with, kid...Stupid margaritas.."

Dipper sighs, gently moving his hands away and wiping at a stray tear. "Everything will be fine, Bill. That's all you need to know. You have me now, so you don't need to worry as much."

The triangle sniffled, looking absolutely pathetic, eye darting away. "..Ok.." He then points down to the scribbled word in the dirt. "I...I'm still working off the drinks..." He shudders, as if ready to cry again before pointing at the dirt again. "I'm such a fucking mess.."

"Everyone's a mess at some point." He wipes at another tear, bringing his knees up as if to shield Bill from someone else's view.

"I shouldn't be! Not right now! I'm one of the most lucky Bills in existence! I-I have both you and Sixer on my side! So why am I like this?!" He rubs at his eye harder, yet the tears keep on spilling. "I...I can't stop...I..I'm tired..I'm tired and I want to stop but I can't.."

"You can rest for the next few days," Dipper offers. "Relax with Ford before everything gets crazy."

"...No...I don't need Ford.." He wipes away a few more tears, then shakily gets to his feet. He holds out a hand, which is shrouded in blue flames. "I need you, Pine Tree...Please...Let me into your mind.."

Dipper blinks, eyes wide. Into his...? He bites his lip, eying his hand. He would know everything, he would see everything. His past, his thoughts, everything he's... ever done. He'd find out anyway, wouldn't he? His fingertips brush Bill's fingers, and then grip his hand. "I'm yours."

\--

Mabel dreamed quite a lot, and they were often full of the things she loved, mixed together in one big cacophony of sound and sights. It was a party, to be sure. But...something about this felt different. And she only knew why the moment her eyes opened.

It looked like some kind of building, something that resembled a parthenon of Ancient Greece, that is, if Greece was at it's peak stage; the floors, the ceiling, the many, many pillars were all a shining, flawless marble white, laced with shimmering spirals of gold, sculpted to perfection without a single crack or chip. The skies were a dull lavender in color, and the clouds, which were almost alarmingly close, were nice and thick, white with faint hues of pink, sparkling with some kind of substance akin to glitter, almost ethereal in design.

They floated over the building, weaving through the gaps like a heavy fog, and Mabel couldn't help but wave a hand through one, watching in awe at how the light blue mist clung to her skin, revealing the glitter to actually be fragments of glowing blue stones, pulsing in tune with her own heartbeat. She gazes at her hand in fascination, eyes wide even as dim confusion drifted through her head. No way was this a dream; it was too real, too detailed, even for someone like her. Where was this? Where was she?

She slowly stands, reaching a hand out to the nearest cloud, watching it disperse around her hand. "Okay, neat..."

"Heh. Glad to see you enjoy the front porch." There was a small snicker behind her.

She whips around, eyes wide and heart racing at the sudden noise. "Who - who are you?"

An alarmingly tall figure stood there a few feet away, clad in robes that were of the same coloration as the very clouds that shifted all around them, and her skin was the same shade as the skies. She had many eyes, up to seven, centered around her face, all of them staring right at her, amusement clear in their gaze. "Heh. I have a lot of names, but I think the Oracle is a lot more easy on the tongue. Nice to meet you, Mabel."

"Uh... Nice to meet you too." She tries for a smile, unsure of what exactly was going on. "So, uh... nice place you've got here? Very, uh, sparkly. I like sparkles."

The Oracle chuckles a bit, some of her eyes swiveling around to survey the surroundings. "Yes, this dimension is quite lovely. Just wait until you see the inside of my house."

"Heh. Yeah. Um..." She shifts, hands clasped behind her. "Who exactly are you again? Oracle...?"

"Just the Oracle, sweetie. I guess you could say I'm an emissary of sorts, that and a bit of a prophet." She smirks again. "It seems your home dimension has a bit of a Bill infestation, yes?"

She almost staggers at the question. "You... you know about Bill?"

"I know about every kind of Bill, from demons to humans and everything in between. And I know that this particular Bill has been a thorn in my side for quite some time." She waves a hand and the fog parts to show an immaculate doorway. "Please, we can discuss more inside."

Speechless, she nods and walks toward the door, and there was a small flash of light. Mabel slowly cracked her eyes open once more, and she couldn't help but gape once more at the sight, seeing how this odd place seemed to be intent on making her do such a thing as much as possible. This place was much less Greek that the "front porch", the ceiling high up and arching in a massive stained-glass dome, depicting odd runes and symbols that seemed to glow and shimmer ever so softly. There were only a few windows lining the walls, which were decorated in tapestries and framed drawings, the misty clouds pouring in, blanketing the floor and pooling around her shoes. Row upon row of shelves surrounded them both, overflowing with books of seemingly endless varieties. The Oracle chuckles at her expression, continuing to walk forward into the massive room, heading toward a bookshelf. "Feel free to look around, my friend."

Mabel walks forward, awestruck, and aimlessly moves toward the nearest shelf. Dipper would love this, she decided. Especially the books. There were books of all kinds, in all kinds of languages, most of them alien to her. They were all well-kept, clean, and orderly. She selected one at random, blinking at the sight of the cover. Golden words on a dark green background. 'Celestials.'

She thumbs the cover, taking in the gilded surface before easing it open. The first page she saw was some kind of living nebula cloud, shaped like that of a atomic sphere, named Quazar. She began to flip through the pages, leaning on a shelf gently. An ancient living artifact, a being of pure light, a living embodiment of space/time...Hmm. This was odd. 'The Seamstress of Fate.' No picture given, no exact location or age. She quickly reads the small blurb given.

"In an attempt to lessen the impact of interdimensional Bills, the Axolotl created the Seamstress to police their activities. The title is not only revered by many, but also comes with a set of obscure powers. The current Seamstress has been described as a cosmic being, often seen with stars in her hair."

Mabel hums at that, raising an eyebrow, before walking out of the shelf, looking around for the Oracle. "Hey, it says here that some Seamstress deity has stars in her hair...What does that mean?"

The Oracle blinks, then grins lightly. "Many think of the Seamstress as a cosmic deity, though eyewitnesses do typically refer to her as being physically cosmic."

"Huh.." She looks around again, only to blink up at a strange sight on what looks to be the upper level. A large tank full of some gelatinous blob that is constantly flickering between colors in an erratic, almost pulsing fashion. It's outer later was crackling and thundering like that of electricity, hitting the glass confines like it was aching to get out." What's that?"

"It's..." The Oracle frowns for a moment. "...a very curious instrument. Even I have difficulty explaining its uses."

"So, why do you have it then?" Mabel tilts her head, before narrowing her eyes. She leans right, then leans left, then after a pause, shuffles to the right, then to the left again. Was it...following her?

"The Axolotl trusts me with it." The Oracle watches her, hands clasped behind her back.

"..Hmm. That didn't answer my question." Mabel turns to look at her, brow raised.

She offers an apologetic smile. "There are some things I simply cannot tell you. I'll be up front about them from here on out. Most of it is as a result of temporal or spacial redundancy and protection."

Mabel stares, but sighs. "I guess that makes sense. So, you said you wanted to talk to me about Bill?"

"Yes." She gestures to a table and two chairs. "First, how much do you already know about Bill?"

"Well, I know he can manipulate dreams and minds, he's brainwashed almost everyone in town, including my brother, and he's planning on getting into this dimension to cause mass chaos." She sits down across from her, resting her chin on the table while her arms cross.

"Yes, that is all... True." The Oracle conjures a teapot and two cups and pours herself some tea. "The Bill in your dimension is surprisingly persuasive and efficient. Only some are able to sway your brother to their side, and even fewer are able to keep Ford with them."

"And having both of them at the same time is even more rare and deadly, I'm guessing? That's super comforting." Mabel sighs before pouring her own tea, dragging the cup closer and simply inhaling the aroma. "Got any sugar?"

"Oh, of course, yes." A diner's sugar shaker appears on the table. "And yes, it is very rare for a Bill to succeed in gaining the approval of both Ford and Dipper. But-" The Oracle raises a finger. "-the Axolotl always has a plan when this happens."

"You keep mentioning that. What is it? Like, sure, it's obviously an axolotl, but what does it have to do with a triangle demon?" Mabel pops open the shaker and pours at least half of it into her tea.

The Oracle grins gently. "The Axolotl is a being which exists outside of existence, unconstrained by time and space. Some see the Axolotl as the de facto god of time and space because of that."

"So, he's like Bill's opposite or rival? Like Zeus to Hades or something?"

"In a way, yes." She looks down, two of her eyes glancing to the side, and frowns. "However, unlike Zeus and Hades, we do not want any Bill to suffer unnecessarily. We seek to... rehabilitate them, if possible."

That almost gets Mabel to spit out her tea, and she struggles to swallow for a few moments before forcing it down. She coughs harshly for a few seconds before staring at the Oracle with wide eyes. "WHAT?! Have you missed the fact he's brainwashed my brother?! Enslaved an entire town of people?! Is literally trying to MURDER THE UNIVERSE?"

"I haven't." The Oracle sips at her tea. "I'm not entirely happy about it either, but there are factors at play that you don't understand. Bill does believe he is doing good, no matter how contrary his situation gets."

"And that somehow makes him deserve redemption?!" She slams her fists on the table. "He's probably already planning on killing me somehow! He's probably planning to kill those dumbass agents! And god knows what he's doing to Dipper!"

One of the Oracle's eyes peers to the left, covertly glancing into Dipper's dreams. Bill lays limp, sobbing into the boy's shirt and rambling about olives and dice. "I... Don't think you have to worry about Bill harming your brother."

"Bullshit." Mabel chugs her tea as if it was a shot glass, pouring herself another cup almost instantly. "So, why am I here? Gonna try to get me to run away from the town? Well, fuck that. Running is all I've been doing for the past two years." She slams the tea again.

The Oracle reaches over and gently puts her hand on her wrist. "I don't want you to run away. In fact, I want you to stay in Gravity Falls." She sits back, sipping at her tea. "You mentioned the Seamstress. She was one of the Axolotl's most active... knights, I suppose you could say. She would usually be the one to handle Bills such as the one in your universe. However, she... passed away fairly recently. Which is where you come in."

Mabel couldn't help but blink at that, her bitter expression lessening oh so softly. "..How?"

"When a Seamstress dies, her armaments... transform. They can be reassembled, but it has to be done very precisely. I believe your universe, your Gravity Falls, contains the materials to reassemble those weapons, which could then be used to expell Bill from your universe."

Mabel sat there for a few moments, staring into her tea, expression now intense, brows furrowed slightly. "...Weapons that can get rid of Bill..." She looks up, hands clenching hard around the cup. "How do I know this isn't a trick? Or-or some ploy? You think I'm going to trust some seven-eyed witch that showed up in my dreams?"

The Oracle sighs gently, but grins. "I don't expect you to trust me. I expect you to trust only a select few people. The only thing you must take into account is what you want to be in the future: someone who trusts no one and therefore does nothing, or someone who offers the only proper help given to them and thereby saves their entire dimension."

Mabel stares for a few moments before she nods quietly, looking down. "...What do I have to do?"

"All you need to do is find the weapons in your town and reassemble them. I know Gravity Falls holds at least two: the shield and the sword. I don't know where they are or how to reassemble them, however."

"..Well, that's gonna be fun." Mabel sighs, chugging her tea.

"There's also been a recent development in Bill's court," the Oracle says, one finger tracing her teacup. "Your brother has been indoctrinated as his second right hand, and the runner up, Gideon, has been... exiled."

Mabel blinks at that, suddenly looking much more alarmed. "Is that why he was in the hospital a week ago? Who could've-" Her mind flashes back to a shaky Dipper, still wet from the shower, his knuckles dark with bruises. Her face rapidly pales. "...No..."

"I'm afraid so." She watches her tea for a moment. "Bill's presence is... intoxicating to many people. I have no doubt that Dipper would have never done such a thing without Bill's influence, even given his past."

There was silence for a few moments as emotions boiled inside Mabel's chest like a kettle ready to scream. Her fists clenched on her cup so hard it looked ready to shatter. She tried so hard, so very hard, to convince herself that the pain was over. That everything would be ok. That this wasn't like last time.

She cannot lie to herself anymore. This WAS like last time. Only now it's even worse then before.

An odd sort of mania builds up, and Mabel starts laughing even as tears spill from her cheeks. "I-It's funny...You say that..h-he wouldn't have done it...Heheheh...I know Dipper...Hehehahaha...He would've done it anyway. And he would want to do it again."

The Oracle watches, unsure what to say.

Mabel's laughing was sounding more and more twisted, strained, and it wasn't long before she stands up, hands shaking. "G-Get me out of here. Right now."

"The palace or-"

"NOW!!" She slams her hands down on the table, sending the tea kettle flying.

The dream sudden dematerializes, the clouds and columns fizzing out of existence. Mabel shoots upward in bed, gasping sharply in shock, heart hammering hard in her chest. She claps a hand over her mouth as she breathes deeply, trying to calm herself down, slowly glancing over at Dipper. His bed is empty, but the curtain in front of the window seat is just barely open. She stares for just a few moments, body shaking, fists suddenly clenching as a poisonous anger fills her chest, vision growing red. How could he? HOW COULD HE? He beat up Gideon, to the point where he was HOSPITALIZED?

HE PROMISED! HE FUCKING PROMISED NOTHING WOULD EVER HAPPEN AGAIN! THAT THEY WERE DONE RUNNING! THAT THEY WERE SAFE! HOW COULD HE...How could he...

Shaking, tears filling her eyes, it took Mabel a moment to realize the bat was in her grip, angled over her head in preparation to swing. Eyes widening in horror, she slowly lowered her arms, dropping the bat as she clasped her hands to her face.   
What... what was she doing? Why would she...? She swallows roughly. She needs to leave. She can't stay here.

Wiping her eyes, she slowly stands up, walking over to Squeaky's tank, opening it quietly. He swims to the surface, trying and failing to crawl up the glass wall. She carefully scoops him out, tucking him against her chest, not caring about her pajamas getting soaked. She picks up her bat and slips on some slippers, sighing to herself before walking out the room. She tiptoes down the steps, sneaking past the living room and kitchen and slipping out the door.

She glances down at Squeaky for a few moments, tears running down her face. "....I have to fix this. I have to fix this no matter what.."


	22. The Plan and the Execution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, guys! Very busy lives and all! Please, leave lots of comments, I want to see what you all think!
> 
> Oh, and a NSFW warning is in order for this chapter, just so you know. *wink*

There were few people in the town who could say they were actively in hiding. There were even fewer who ever needed to recover from severe injuries. Gideon was lucky enough to be in both categories.

He had been eager to get out of that hospital, especially after overhearing two nurses debate over wether they should slip poison into his IV bags or food. He had to waste precious energy by healing his wounds with a few spells while they weren't looking, and he only managed to escape by the skin of his teeth. After that, he barricaded himself in the house, set up as many runes in the walls as he could, and ordered his father to not let anyone in under any circumstances. He couldn't risk it, everyone was his enemy now, everyone was out to get him, and he couldn't leave. The moment he stepped outside, he was dead meat.

But perhaps this could give him some time to himself. Time to think over what his final moments should be like, and possible ways to maybe redeem himself in the Eye's...eye. He sat back at his desk, sighing to himself as he lifts his non-casted arm to his face, rubbing at his eyes. He had been up all day, flipping through all of the notes on magic he had written down in an attempt to figure out what were the best ways to peek to the outside, figure out if anyone was looking for him, who to watch out for. All he needed was just a smidgen of the Eye's power.

There was surely no way for him to get any proper amount of that kind of power, although he could try and extract some from things Bill touched or enchanted. It was a long shot, but doable. The only things he knew that were specially enchanted belonged to Ford though. And he was sure there was no way to get them, not like this. He needed something. He needed magic.

He needed-

A loud bang comes from the front of the house. Followed by another. And then another. He scrambles to his feet as the door caves in.

"Scream and this fucking bat is gonna go through your god damn skull." Mabel stood there in the doorway, one of her many plastic-jewel-coated weapons raised in perpetration to swing, dressed in nothing but pajamas and slippers, cheeks red and eyes puffy, as if she had been crying. On her shoulder, sat an Axolotl, who was shaking and chirping nervously.

He stares, hands and legs shaking at her sudden appearance. Was this how it ended? At the hands of a Pines?

Slowly, Mabel began to stalk around the room, eyeballing everything very carefully. She paused, staring at a bill-themed tapestry on the wall, before suddenly swinging at it with the bat, caving in the chunk of wall it was perched on and making it fall to the floor. Picking it up, she began to tear at it violently, undoing the threads and even tearing the fabric in some areas. When it was nothing but scrapes on the floor, she moved on.

Slowly, she destroyed every relic of Bill in the room, from smashing statues to ripping apart books, even chucking a few eye-shaped stones out the window. After 10 minutes of this, she looks around one final time, before sighing and lowering the bat. "..Ok. We're good."

"What.... What the hell did you just do? Why are you here?" Gideon glances from Mabel to the shards and remains of his idols.

"I know your precious demon god can see through images of himself, and I don't exactly want him to be privy to this conversation." She rubs at her eyes for a few moments before sighing. "..You're the only other bastard in this place that can help me. Anyone else would either try to slit my throat the moment my back was turned or go and blab to my Uncle. I wanted to go see Candy and Grenda, but after that whole Axolotl incident, it seems they're wrapped up in this shit-fest too."

Gideon blinks, then glares at her. "And why would I help you? Your brother put me in the hospital AND he's the Eye's second in command. How do I know this isn't some ruse?"

Mabel sighs again and picks up Squeaky from her shoulder, holding it out to him. "Gideon, meet Squeaky. He's kind of my new pet. I met him the night before the agents came."

His face wrinkles. "And? What's your point? What do you want with me?"

"I want you to help me, dumbass. Help me stop whatever it is that Bill's planning. I can't rely on anyone else except for a trash hobo, and the agents have been anything but subtle; they'll be found skinned at the bottom of a ditch faster then you can blink." She puts Squeaky on her shoulder again, before grabbing at Gideon's notebook, pointing at the pages that have been filled to the brim. "I need inside help. Someone who knows Bill, knows how he operates, what he's capable of, all of that. I'm all alone here, and my brother is too far gone now."

He stares, then grabs at his notebook as she snatches at it. "Hey! Careful with that! And I can't leave this house; everyone else wants me dead. As soon as they see me, they'll attack. Not that I'd work with you in the first place, but...." He huffs. "Your brother did more than ruin me. He's signed my death warrant, and since Bill has kicked me out of the cult, no one wants me around. I might have had perks earlier, but I don't have them anymore."

Mabel stares, before growling and suddenly seizing him by the collar, voice low but dripping with rage. "Have you ever fucking considered what might happen to you if you DO stay in here? If Bill DOES manage to succeed in his plans, and manages to enter our world? Huh? I'll tell you what happens, you'll be fucking subjected to an eternal damnation filled with nothing but blood and your screams. It will make getting the shit beaten out of you by Dipper a fucking cakewalk in comparison!"

She can't help but briefly shake him, practically lifting him off the floor. "YOU HELP ME AND YOU CAN AT LEAST HAVE A CHANCE AT SURVIVING. OR, YOU SIT IN YOUR ROOM LIKE THE BALLESS BITCH YOU ARE AND SUFFER ENDLESSLY AT THE HANDS OF A MONSTER."

He shakes, but still grits his teeth. "I know exactly what will happen when Bill gets into the town, and neither of us can stop him. When he puts his mind to something, nothing stops him in his pursuits. Me staying here provides the same end as me leaving. One just happens to have less pain."

Her expression darkens, but then she pauses, before sighing and dropping him. "Ok...Here's an idea. The agents are here to investigate the town, right? Want to see about paranormal/suspicious activity? And they went to interrogate you at the hospital, correct?" She stares pointedly at him.

"Yes, and I didn't tell them anything," he spits. "Your brother would know, what with him sittin' outside my door the whole time."

Mabel couldn't help but blink at that, momentarily caught off guard. Her mind flashes back to Ford practically dragging Dipper to his house, and she hums. So that's what Ford was so mad about...

She shakes her head to snap herself out of it, glaring at Gideon once more. "Look, my point is, is that the agents are gonna be watching everyone's move while they're here. And unless the townspeople WANT to get caught, they're not gonna be pulling any shit while they know the government could very well come down and ruin everything for them."

Gideon opens his mouth, then huffs again and looks aside. "Fine, yes, there is a sort of... window of opportunity in the town. No doubt they're trying to figure out how to get rid of them quietly."

She crosses her arms, looking a tad bit more smug. "See? You have a chance to live. A chance that you can only take if you help me."

His nose scrunches up again, but he doesn't refute her claim. "What do you need to know?"

She opens her mouth to respond, but then pauses, and shakes her head. "..Not here. It looks too suspicious...And there's gotta be a way to make sure no one tries to listen in to us."

Gideon crosses his arms - as much as he can with one in a cast - and rolls his eyes. "That'll be easy. Here." He rifles through one of his table drawers and produces a thick stock card with "The Club" written in spidery writing. "Every table is spaced out so no one can overhear any individual conversations. Not to mention they have a band that plays every night."

Mabel couldn't help but raise a brow as she takes the card from his hand, looking it over with a semi-disgruntled look. "...Well, I guess it will have to do. Think you can get there by yourself or should I walk there with you?"

He thinks for a moment. "I can get there by myself."

"Ok. I assume this is a place where it's reservations only?"

He waves his good hand. "I can pull a few strings. I have influence outside of the Eye, after all."

At that, she rolls her eyes but picks up her bat again. "Ok. Noon tomorrow sound good?"

"It's as good a time as any."

"Right..." She shifts for a few moments. "Uhh...Goodnight, I guess? And, uh...Sorry about your front door." She darts out of the room.

He exhales, slowly sitting down in his chair as he hears the front door creak and groan. "Goddamn Pines family."

\--

Powers sighs to himself as he drives along the dirt-covered road, rubbing his eyes as he waits for the caffeine to kick in. It had been a long night, what with patrolling the town streets, going over recorded files, as well as scoping out several marked areas of this damned forest. It was tiring work, and it seemed to bare no fruit at all. But there was definitely something amiss here, it was a sort of gut reaction, an instinctual feeling. He glances over at Trigger, a brow raising softly. "..You felt it too, right? In the forest, I mean?"

"Without a question." He glances at his cup of coffee. "Wasn't very inviting either."

"Yeah...I felt it everywhere. It felt like it was watching us...No, more like glaring."

"Heh. Say that to anyone else and you'd sound crazy." Trigger blows on his coffee. "We'd need more for a report, though the fact you felt anything kinda freaks me out a bit."

"Well, I felt it, and it's...Shit." He grabs his own coffee, taking a large gulp. "To be blunt, it's fucking scary. I honestly think we've stumbled into something big here. Really, really big."

"You're telling me." He tentatively sips at his cup, wincing as it burns his lips.

Powers glances back at the road, only to suddenly slam on the breaks. "SHIT-!"

Trigger tenses, one hand going to the dash as his seatbelt stutters, his coffee sloshing and spilling down his arm and onto his leg. "Shit, shit, shit-" He hurriedly drops the cup into a holder and starts waving his hand and patting at his leg.

The car screeches to a stop with a final lurch, and Powers stares up with wide, shocked eyes. The boy, no older than thirteen, stares at them coldly, a bag slung over his shoulder. He stands there, middle of the road, as if it was their fault he had nearly gotten himself run over. It was almost as if everything else had stopped: the pedestrians, the birds, the flickering of the lampposts. Then he fixed the strap of his bag and walked the rest of the way across the road.

Powers's gaze follows the boy as he walks across, and his teeth suddenly grit. "...That bastard..."

"Something is up with that kid." Trigger bites his lip as the kid rounds a corner.

"....Should we follow him?"

"Probably not."

His eyes shift back to Dipper. "But he's our only lead."

Trigger sighs, and slowly unlocks the car door, pushing it open. "Fine. But let's be quick."

\--

Mabel stared up at the large clover-shaped building coated in neon purples and deep obsidian, feeling an overwhelming urge to turn around and walk away. It felt like less of an area for business meetings and more like an old set in a romantic comedy. It was disgusting, downright uncomfortable, to the point where her skin was crawling. But she had to go in. She had no other choice.

Taking a deep breath, swearing to herself if this backfired her ghost would punch Gideon in the throat, she stepped through the doors. The inside was coated in checkerboard black and white, with velvet and leather seats for dining in. Each table bore two seats, and true to his words, they were spaced far enough apart to provide a sense of privacy despite the open layout. An attendant walked up to her, glanced her over once, and then beckoned for her to follow him. "He's been waiting."

"Comforting.." She mutters to herself as she follows the attendant, eyes darting around to survey if there were any other customers. A few couples sit in their lavish seats, wearing their lavish jewelry and lavish makeup. One or two scantily clad women lean against the bar, chatting up either the bartender or the customers. They pass through a beaded curtain into another room, and it's surprisingly difficult to find the albino bouffant in the collection of guests, waiters, and band members.

Ok, she was starting to feel REALLY uncomfortable now. God, this place was like some sort of smarmy rich version of a nightclub. Why the fuck did Gideon even choose this place? He was lucky she needed his help so badly; otherwise she would deck him in the face the moment she saw him.

Speaking of the little twat, where was he?

The attendant skillfully swerves around high priced meals and the waiters carrying them, stopping only when he approaches a table near the right-hand wall. "Your second has arrived, sir."

"I can see that, thank you." Gideon smiles condescendingly at the attendant, who rolls his eyes and walks away.

Mabel sighs and slides into the seat across from him, her expression full of begrudging acceptance and intense aggravation. "..This place is really gross, you know that, right? It's trying to be all classy, when really it's just nothing but a bunch of rich lonely sickos wanting to forget about their pathetic lives through...This creepy shit." She absentmindedly wipes her hands on her sweater.

"Yes, and everyone minds their own business," he snaps. "Which makes it the perfect place to do business. Oh, and there aren't any triangles around her, since their schtick is round things."

Mabel's eye twitches, but she sighs. "...Touché."

\--

"Dammit." Powers turns to Trigger as their suspect enters the woods. He pretends to look over the nearby coffee shop's menu. "Where could he possibly be going out in the woods?"

Trigger merely shrugs to himself, watching the boy in his peripheral vision. "I'm not sure...Think it has anything to do with scaring that Gideon kid?"

"It could. Better to not rule anything out, though."

"...I don't see him anymore. Think we should still follow him?"

Powers frowns, then exhales and nods. "He's just a kid, so we should be fine. I'm more worried about what might actually be in the forest."

"I'm sure it can't be worse then a few bears or wolves. Come on." Trigger turns and begins to walk down the same path he saw Dipper take.

Powers follows and the forest quickly swallows them whole. The hairs on their necks bristle as that glare returns to them. Both of the agents shudder in slight unease, turning left and right in an effort to make out where the kid went. Powers narrows his eyes, heart starting to pound. "Do you see him?"

Trigger shakes his head. "Look at this, though." He walks to a few broken branches and pushed aside bramble. "He's leaving a pretty blatant trail."

"...Well, that's a good thing, right? He's just a kid, after all."

"Perhaps...." He follows the trail, hoping to maybe catch up with the boy.

\--

"So...About last night..." Mabel sighs to herself as she half-heartedly looks over the menu. "...Have you ever heard of something called the Oracle?"

Gideon glances at her, then back at his own menu. "Vaguely. She approached Ford a long time ago."

That gets her to blink, eyes going wide in shock. "What?"

"He wrote about her in his journals, which I used to have access to." He tears a chuck of bread in half and slathers butter onto one. "She tried to convince him to work against Bill, sayin' he wanted to destroy our world or somethin'."

"He DOES, you dumbass. Ugh, whatever. The point is, she visited me in my dreams last night, gave me some tea that was possibly spiked, who knows. But she told me that this Bill is one of infinite variations, yet somehow happens to be one of the deadliest versions. She also told me about this...being, that was meant to handle these out of control dimensions. Something called the Seamstress of Fate." Mabel just grabs a slice and bites into it without care.

"Sounds like some made up deity." Gideon bites at his bread.

"Sure, and some fucking Illuminati corn chip with a bow tie and hat is plausible." She rolls her eyes before swallowing her chunk of bread, taking another bite. "But the point is, somehow, the latest Seamstress was killed, and now it's weapons are scattered somewhere in-"

A hand slammed on the table. "Whatever you two are doing, I'm getting in on it."

Mabel spends a good thirty seconds coughing up a chunk of dry bread that had launched itself down her throat, finally managing to hack it up, looking close to vomiting. She then turns to glare daggers at whoever was nosy enough to listen in, only for her face to drop in shock. "...Pacifica?"

"Yeah, it's me." She straightens herself, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen. "I'm a waitress here, so we'll have to be quick when we talk."

"..Wha-? Why the hell should we talk to you? You're not a part of this!" Mabel glares at her, crossing her arms.

Gideon, having recovered from the sudden shock, nods in agreement, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "How do we know you ain't gonna sell us out?"

Pacifica sighs, eyes rolling. "That triangle the town loves so much ruined my house, and you expect me to just be okay with that? Yeah, no."

There was silence for a few moments, and the two partners-in-kind-of-a-crime exchange bewildered glances, as if silently stating a singular phrase: 'Is she fucking serious?'

"Oh my god." Pacifica shifts her weight, looking at Gideon. "Since when have I ever liked that triangle? And you should know he's just using my parents. We're all gonna be killed once he gets out."

Gideon hums, and begrudgingly nods at this. "Yeah...If anyone has a chance at getting killed first, it would be your father.."

Mabel shifts slightly, still unsure. "..Why do you want to get in on this? It could get you killed."

"I'm already gonna be killed by the townspeople. Trust me, if Bill didn't want to blind-side my father, we'd be dead already." The girl raises a brow.

"...Yeah, I suppose..." She looks down, brow furrowed, looking almost deep in thought.

"So..." She shifts again, tapping her pad. "Anyone gonna eat anything?"

The two blink, and after a moment, Mabel picks up the menu, scanning it over quickly. "Uhh..The lasagna?"

She scratches that down, then turns to Gideon. He frowns, then puts the menu aside. "I'll take some of the crab soup."

Mabel turns to face Pacifica, brow furrowed in slight confusion. "Um..Should we wait until your shift is over?"

"I just got on. Tell me summaries when I come around. Drinks?"

They both nod in agreement, Mabel handing her the menu first. "Pitt Cola."

"Iced Tea for me." Gideon's eyes dart around slightly, a tad wary of the environment because of the commotion.

She nods as she writes. "If you're worried about anyone else, don't even bother. I always end up getting loud with customers. Some of the others do too."

"Duly noted, thank you." Mabel nods, as does Gideon, who remains silent. Pacifica nods and walks off.

Mabel sighs, rubbing her forehead after a moment. "...Well, this was unexpected."

"I didn't even know she worked here." Gideon frowns, picking at his nails.

"Me either. I mean, the richest girl in town is a waitress?"

"And she's working here? Doesn't add up."

"...Think we can trust her? I mean, I don't trust you, but still." She sips at a glass of water.

He leans back, sighing. "She really doesn't have any reason to like Bill."

"Well, yeah...But at the same time, she has no reason to team up with us either; just because her dad will most definitely die doesn't mean she will."

"It is her dad," Gideon drawls. "He might be an asshole, but he's family."

..Her gaze seems to sour at that, and she scoffs in disgust. "Family means nothing. It's a bunch of bullshit."

"Okay, wow. Don't like your parents?"

"Considering they're the primary source of both me and my brother's insomnia, paranoia, depression, panic attacks, low self-esteem, insecurities, and anger problems, I'd definitely say so. They're fucking pricks that never paid any attention to us or cared about our state of being. Even when we'd come home bashed and bleeding all they'd do is just hand us the first-aid kit and continue lounging. They'd invade our privacy, our rooms, every time we stepped out of the house. They would leave without warning, leaving us to figure out how to cook on our own, or even go out to get food. They never listened to what we had to say, no matter what it was. 'Go over and hug Aunt Martha. I don't care if you don't want to, you're being rude.' 'The kid was probably just joking, I'm sure he didn't mean to trip you down the stairs.' 'What do you mean you feel sick? You don't have a fever! Stop being lazy and get to school!' 'A B+? SURELY YOU CAN TRY HARDER THEN THAT?! OR ARE YOU JUST BEING STUPID?!'"

Her voice was getting progressively louder as she went on, face turning red with rage as her fists clenched around the cloth of the table, almost looking ready to topple it. "ALL THEY DID WAS SIT AND LOUNGE AROUND WHILE MY BROTHER WAS GETTING BEATEN SENSELESS AND THROWN INTO DUMPSTERS! THEY DIDN'T LISTEN WHEN I KEPT TELLING THEM I FELT SICK, AND I ENDED UP NEARLY DYING FROM MY APPENDIX BURSTING! WE WERE LEFT IN THE HOUSE ALL ALONE AT THE AGE OF 6 WITH NOTHING TO EAT AND HAVING NO IDEA WHERE THEY WERE!!! 6 YEAR OLD TWINS CRYING IN THE DARK AND CALLING THE COPS BECAUSE WE THOUGHT WE WERE ALL ALONE!! FAMILY DOESN'T MEAN SHIT!! THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU! ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS THE AUTHORITY THEY HAVE OVER YOU, AND HOW NOBODY WILL BLINK AN EYE WHEN THEY FUCK UP OR DO SOMETHING WRONG BECAUSE 'THEY'RE TRYING THEIR BEST!' IT'S BULLSHIT AND WILL ALWAYS BE BULLSHIT, AND YOU'RE BETTER OFF DITCHING THEM THE FIRST CHANCE YOU GET!!"

She gasps, left panting from the outburst, body trembling with hot, furious anger that caused her body to tremble and quake. Tears were streaming down her face without even realizing it, and she suddenly wrenches herself away from the table, stomping away and wiping her face with a sweater sleeve, mumbling under the breath, voice hoarse. "...Going to the bathroom.."

Gideon blinks, staring widely at her seat while everyone else in the room turns to stare at him. "...Fuck."

\--

"Holy shit." That was all Powers could say, eyes staring down with a mild sense of horror and unease. At their feet was a slab of mossy, silver metal, wrenched open and revealing nothing but blackness underneath. He wasn't sure what exactly it was, but he was sure the kid had gone down there.

Trigger stares, and then pulls his flashlight out and shines it into the hole. "We can't call for backup, can we?"

"Forests aren't exactly known for great cell reception..." He leans forward slightly to peer into the hole, seeing a singular ladder and a giant chasm. "..Do we have to go down there?"

"Protocol," he offers bitterly.

"Fucking....Why did that become a rule?" Powers sighs but slowly begins to climb downward.

"When all this crazy shit started up last time, I think." Trigger follows him down. "Too little investigation or something."

"Well, if we get out of here, investigation can kiss my aAAAGH-!" He screams as the ladder suddenly precariously wobbles, starting to fall over.

"SLIDE, SLIDE, SLIDE!"

There was a loud crash as the ladder suddenly fell to the chasm below, bits and pieces of metal tubing going flying everywhere. Powers lay a few feet away, in a bloody, yet still moving heap, vision swimming horribly as he fights to stay awake.

He could barely register the fact that the hatch above slowly slammed shut.

Trigger, in slightly more fortunate position than Powers, sits up and glances around for the flashlight. He swipes a dribble of blood from his lip and reaches for the light. As he grabbed the light in his hands, chittering noises fill his ears, echoing out from the darkness.

"Powers? Can you stand?"

There was no response at first, but Powers attempted to at least shift onto his side, only to gasp in pain. "Fuck..My leg...I think my leg is broken...What do we do?"

He carefully shines the light over to him and walks over. "Shit. Looks like a fracture."

"Ugh..." He lifts his head to look, vision swimming, and he nearly starts retching. A long fragment of bone was sticking out of his skin, rivulets of blood pooling under his shaking, twitching limb. "Fuck...Fuck me.."

The chittering grows louder, low, deep, sounding more like growls, drawing closer, nearer. Sharp squeaks echoed through the void, and it carried with it the flapping of wings. Trigger kneels next to him, handing him the flashlight and speaking in whispers. "Something's in here, and we need to move. I'm carrying you. Try to stay quiet."

Powers nods slowly, body already starting to tense up as the noises reach his ears. Either the kid had managed to evade whatever was in there....

Or they had just walked right into a trap.

\--

...It's been 2 minutes. He should really check on her or something. Gideon couldn't help but shift in his seat, staring down at the bowl of appetizers that had been set on the table, feeling a bit torn. After a moment, he grabs one of the mozzarella sticks he had been provided and nibbles at it as he walks to the bathroom Mabel had cloistered herself within.

He bites his lip for a moment before simply raising his hand and knocking. There was an immediate response from within. "Go away, Gideon."

"We can't exactly talk when we're in two different rooms."

"Really? I would've thought you could pull some telepathy shit."

Gideon sighs. "No. That's... That's not how it works."

"I don't care. We're talking through the door anyway."

"In a place where anyone can come walking up to us and hear what we're saying. Perfect idea."

"Shut up..Stop using logic against me.."

"'Cause not using logic got you so far." He crosses his arms and huffs.

"Fuck you..."

He shakes his head. "Just, come on, we need to talk about this. I'm not doing it with a door between us."

"..I just...Give me a few seconds, ok?"

"...Ok. I'll be at the table."

Mabel sighed to herself as she heard Gideon walk away, lifting a hand up to rub her puffy eyes. Fuck, she just fucking split open like a rotting fruit at the sheer mention of her family...She was so stupid. At least Gideon wasn't prodding her for answers. She probably wouldn't respond well to questions. She slowly stands up to look at herself into the mirror, rubbing at her eyes and turning on the faucet to splash her face with water, sighing. "...Pull it together, Mabes..."

There's a knock on the door, and then the lock flips and it creaks open. "So, I take it Gideon was an asshole?"

"..No, I guess not. It's just me being a horrible mess.."

"Yeah, right." Pacifca walks in fully, and then locks the door again. She frowns at the lock. "Look, I'm not gonna ask anything of you, but I think I know part of why you... freaked. And it makes sense that you did, and people like Gideon assume things about people they only think they understand. It's why I hate him, and Bill. But Gideon's a kid still, so maybe some day he'll see that the perfect kids aren't so perfect."

Mabel just nods ever so softly, running a hand through her hair. "...I think I just kind of...bottled everything up. Not just because of myself not wanting to make the whole situation worse but...also for Dipper. He lets his anger out, but way too much of it at the worst possible times. It's up to me to keep him calm, make sure he's ok, and...make sure nothing happens. Not again. I couldn't afford to lose my cool, not when things just got worse and worse, not when our fucking lives were on the line...I guess 2 years of keeping it in was just too much.."

"Everyone bursts sometimes."

She glares up at Pacifica, eyes starting to water as her hands shoot up in the air. "But I'm not! I can't afford to burst! Not then, and especially not now! Not when everyone I know would be out to kill me if they knew I wanted to stop their demon god from destroying the world! And...And...My brother.." She sniffles, rubbing her eyes. "...Dipper is the only thing I have...and I'm going to lose him..."

Pacifica walks over to her, gently touching her shoulder. "Are you going to lose him, or did you already lose him?"

This gets her to pause ever so slightly. "..I mean, I know he's probably long gone by now, but..He's going to do something when I try and stop Bill. He's going to, I know it, and I don't know if I can handle that. It's bad enough watching his mind get taken over by a demon but I don't.." She trembles horribly, eyes growing a sort of haunted, terrified look. "...I don't want to have to kill him.."

Pacifica gently tilts Mabel's chin up. "No one will have to kill him. It won't come to that."

She took a moment to simply breath, choking back the acidic tears and the aching, horrible terror that drips in her veins like a poisonous sludge, burning her from within in a way that made her want to scream and cry and run away until the pain went away. She covers her eyes for a moment, before simply nodding to herself, taking the false hope her new ally offered, just enough so she could think straight. "...Ok."

"Good." Pacifica offers a grin. "Now, your lasagna is gonna be ready soon. Want me to snag some ice cream for you?"

The sudden offer got Mabel off guard so much that she actually stared for a few moments, before smiling, stubbornly wiping her eyes to avoid a new wave of touched, heartfelt tears. "Sure, that's...that'd be great."

"Awesome. What's your favorite?" She leads her to the door.

"Chocolate, mainly." Mabel slowly steps out of the bathroom, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Alright. I think we have a full tub you can have." Pacifica taps her chin. "Actually, we have chocolate, chocolate with brownies, triple chocolate, and chocolate peanut butter."

Mabel chuckles, the exact emotions brewing inside the sound unclear. "Triple chocolate. Like, as much as you're allowed to give me."

"I'll even give you the can of whipped cream."

The response was immediate as Mabel wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "You're the fucking best and anyone who says otherwise will be swallowing their own teeth."

\--

Trigger padded down the hall, doing his best to support Powers while not ruining his leg any further. He had long since discarded his shoes in favor of dulling the noise cause by his footsteps, but those slithering and flapping movements continued to pursue them. Powers had wrapped a piece of cloth around his leg to act as a tourniquet, holding a piece of tubing in his hands as a makeshift weapon, trying his best to stay awake, heart still heavy with fatigue, "..How the hell...Are we gonna get out of here?"

"Easy. Find a place to settle down, and then fix your leg a bit better." Trigger nudges what could be a door with his shoulder, then exhales and continues on down the corridor when it doesn't budge. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fan-fucking-tastic. Couldn't be better." Powers grumbles through clenched teeth, taking a swing wildly at a dark shape that flies too close, hearing a sharp screech. "Think I just saw an eyeball."

"Fuck." Trigger shifts his hold on him slightly, speeding up. "We shouldn't have come here."

Just at that moment, there was a loud roar, and the slithering amidst the flapping of wings turned into a pounding of claws on the floor; Powers could only muster up the strength to push Trigger away as a scaly shape emerged from the darkness, tackling him to the ground with a howl of triumph. Trigger curses, stumbling back, and then grabs his handgun.

Powers screams as he's dragged back into darkness, and then all goes silent. No wings, no slithering, no screaming. Trigger takes a breath, moving forward into the darkness and scooping up the flashlight Powers had discarded when tackled.

He flashed the light to the left, then the right, then the left again, staring in shock, possibly horror, at the walls and room being completely void of monsters. Where were they? There's no way they could've left so fast! Not at the speeds they were being chased at!

...Unless...

Heart pounding with dread, cold chills going down his back, Trigger slowly looks upward.

"...Fuck."

Hundreds of eyeballs, staring at him with malice and malevolent hunger, screech in unison, flying at him with sharp, taloned wings.

\--

"...So, that's the plan. Or, at least the outline of the plan." Mabel wipes her mouth with a napkin, trying to rid her lips and chin of red tomato sauce. Needless to say, her plate was practically licked clean.

Gideon stares at his own plate, absently stirring his soup. "So we just find these weapons and... we win? It seems too simple."

"Well, she didn't exactly tell me everything. And even if she was going to, I kind of...stormed out of the dream.." She sighs. "Either way, it's our only lead on what to do."

"Yeah..." Gideon shifts. "Are you sure it wasn't Bill?"

"She had murals of the Axolotl all over the place, 7 eyes, and was yammering about Bill's needing to be stopped. That, and I don't think Bill would be too keen on wearing a dress. Cloak. Whatever."

He bites his lip. "Maybe."

"So..I think the first step is to find the shield. Though I'm not quite sure where it could be."

Gideon sips at his soup. "I was meaning to perform a spell. It could help us."

"How so?"

"It would... allow me to see in the same way as Bill. I'd be able to see through his image, including the knots in the trees in the forest. But I'd have  
to be somewhere he won't find me before that happens, and it would require a rather specific item from Stanford."

She couldn't help but blink at that, a brow raised. "Why do you need something from Ford?"

"The spell requires something... touched, imbued by the person I want to see through. Bill doesn't leave many physical items lyin' around, but if he has any, Ford has them. The most powerful one he has is probably the mirror."

"The mirror? You mean the one with that nasty Lumberjack Ghost inside it?"

"Yes. I have reason to believe Bill manipulated the ghost in some way. It should still contain some of his power."

Mabel pauses at this, humming to herself. The ghost certainly seemed impossibly strong when it manifested in the Northwest Manor. And Bill certainly seemed wicked enough to tamper with an angry spirit in such a way. "..What about the hiding place? You said you needed to hide somewhere, right?"

"Yeah. Somewhere Bill wouldn't be able to see me go. It's not enough to make sure he can't see me. He can't know where I am. It's going to be risky using his own abilities against him, and if he finds me while I'm using his powers...." He takes a breath. "I'm not sure what would happen. He might be able to possess me."

She glances down at the table, brow furrowed intensely as her mind ticked and worked, trying to think of something. "Hmm...Is there any place you know where there's no trees? I know that that's his main way of observing everything."

He thinks for a moment. "There's the strip mall, but his symbol is on half of the merchandise over there. Hm... The lake has a few hiding spots."

"The lake? How?"

"Well, Ford knows a few. He had me scouting the area for almost a month after some kind of creature took residence in the water, so I passed along to him what I knew. But, well, I didn't tell him everything. I'm not an idiot."

"That can be debatable." She smirks a bit.

He chuckles a little, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, well. There's a few different places that can be made into safe houses over there. Not many creatures go near there either."

"Right...Think we should go to the lake today or tomorrow?"

"Not today. When can you get the mirror?"

She hums, biting her lip. "...I'm not sure. Give me, like, 2 days or something. I'll figure something out."

"Okay. That should be fine. Um. How should we meet up?"

"I assume the lake would be a good meeting place."

"Yeah. Is there any way you might be able to signal that you're ready? Anything like putting lanterns up or causing a commotion the day before?"

She pauses to think, biting her lip slightly. "...I can use my Axolotl. He can come and get you."

Gideon scrunches his face for a moment, then sighs. "Alright. Fine. That's probably a lot better than anything else. I'll leave my window open a crack."

"Right, so that's taken care of...Now how are we gonna tell this to Pacifica?"

Gideon looks around her, seeing the girl setting down a few plates in front of a customer. "....We could wait until her shift ends."

"Sounds like a plan to me. After all, she owes me ice cream."

\--

Trigger slowly opens his eyes, the world seeming to tilt around him. He could barely make out Powers' suit in the dim lighting of whatever bunker they had stumbled into. Slowly, hand shaking with the effort, he nudges his partner's shoulder. Powers was shaking ever so slightly, his breathing ragged, and the only thing Trigger felt when touching his shoulder, was warm, wet blood. He seemed to have been injured again, and it was starting to take it's toll.

Trigger licks his lips, taking a steadying breath before pushing himself upright. He suddenly cries out at the shock of not feeling his legs move, or, really, anything below his waist move. Was he paralyzed? Was his spinal cord damaged in the attack? What happened?! Taking a deep breath, his head slowly turns in an attempt to look down at his back.

His legs lay limp against the ground, not moving despite his orders to twitch or stand or kick. He grits his teeth in frustration, before attempting to turn and drag himself toward Powers...Only to pause when he hears a sound akin to stone being dragged over metal. He goes dead still, waiting to hear the sound again, but there's nothing. He drags himself forward, and there's the sound again.

His blood runs cold as he frantically reaches a hand back to touch his legs or waist. "No, no way...No fucking way..."

Stone. His hands met nothing but cold, hard stone.

"How the fuck-?" He swallows roughly, trying to ignore the urge to start screaming.

"...T..Trigger..." Power's voice weakly trembles in the air, the man slowly raising his head up, chest heaving as blood soaks his clothes. "..What...what happened?"

"I... My... My legs are..." He couldn't bring himself to say it. It didn't make any sense. He turns to Powers and tries to look at his legs, but can't discern any colors due to lack of light.

"...This was a trap...wasn't it?" Powers laughs slightly, before it devolves into a coughing fit.

A second laugh follows him, footsteps echoing slightly in the hall. A light above them flickers on. Tennis shoes step into the light, revealing the boy they had been following. He smirks at the two agents, shaking his head with a dumbfounded look on his face. "It was an obvious one at that," Dipper concedes, a laugh in his voice. "I honestly did not expect you two to come so far. I didn't have much time to put this together, much less think it through more than a couple times. But here you are!" He walks a little closer, grin wider, head tilted. "Trained, government agents, taken down by a twelve year old."

Both of the agents instantly go stiff as they watch the boy emerge from the darkness. There was the sound of slithering yet again, before they saw a large, reptilian creature crawl down from a wall, blind, with no eyes. It seemed to leer at them with a visible hunger, growling and chittering as it crawls to Dipper's side. Trigger's eyes narrow. "Tch...You lured us down here so your creepy mutant pets could take us out? Why?"

Dipper chuckles, absently petting Bessie. "She's actually a basilisk, but I doubt you'd really care. Adults are all so similar. As for why? Well, I can't have you stopping anything. If you stop us, then you send us away again. I cant have that. I promised Mabel we wouldn't go back."

Powers lifts his head to glare, struggling to not sink to the ground. "You...You're a fucking idiot. Whatever's...going on here....It won't..last."

"It will if you die."

Trigger immediately digs his hand into his coat, trying to find a weapon, a phone, a gun, anything. He wasn't as wounded, and so he was sitting upward. "People will notice. They'll notice we'll be gone, and when that happens, you'll have the whole fucking CIA cracking down on this town."

"Oooh. CIA? I would have guessed higher if you were looking into Ford." Dipper tilts his head the other way and grins, revealing a bag. "Collected anything important before you woke up. Can't have you calling in the cavalry, can we?" His giggle was almost too childish. "And don't worry. I'm sure we have enough time to get everything going before anyone realizes you're gone. What do you think they monitor the most? The GPS in your car, your phones, or your keys? Asking for a friend."

The agents both narrow their eyes, and Trigger actually looks ready to try and tackle the kid, despite having stone legs. "...So, you're just going to kill us down here? All because your great uncle tells you to?"

That makes him laugh, throwing his head back and rubbing his eyes. "Oh, wow. Heheh. No, no. You're looking at this wrong. My great uncle probably doesn't even know I'm here. And I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to leave you here. Couple of strange men following me into-" He snickers. "-into the woods! Gods, how stupid do you have to be!" He starts laughing harder, nearly doubling over.

The agents glare harder, clearly brewing with anger, and also helplessness. But then their eyes start growing with horror, and Trigger tears back as much as he can in shock. "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit-!"

Dipper almost wheezes, leaning on the wall to balance himself as crimson dripped off his chin. He tilts his head back, giggling at the subtle tingles running over his left eye. "Heheh. Seems like someone is interested in watching this." He smirks at the agents, taking a few steps closer to Trigger. Blood dribbles continuously down his cheek.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD! WHAT ARE YOU?!" The man is pale with fear, his hands scrambling on the tiles in an effort to propel himself away from the demented child.

He takes another step forward, kneeling as the man presses into a wall. Powers grunts something, probably trying to move or ask what's going on. Dipper's grin curls in on itself and he cups Trigger's face. "I'm exactly what everyone thinks I am. A child. A prodigy. A Puppet." he tilts Trigger's head to the side, as if looking for something. "I do what I must so we all can survive. Though you are rather fortunate to have caught me in a more pleasant mood. Use this time to make peace with whatever blasphemous god you call your own, and give each other good luck. You'll be needing them."

"Let..Let go of him, you bastard.." Powers is pushing himself up as best he can, skin pale with blood loss, eyes cloudy and bloodshot with both terror and rage. His own legs don't seem to be petrified, as he makes a sloppy, stumbling lunge towards Dipper, arms outstretched.

Bessie meets him, jaws clamping around his shoulder and claws scratching at his face. They tumble to the ground. Dipper turns his head, one hand gripping Trigger's throat. "Hm. Do you not want to have any last words? Are you really so desperate to not have to say goodbye to your friend?" He releases Trigger and walks toward Powers. Bessie pulls away and crawls to Dipper's shoulders.

Trigger slumps over, shaking and twitching erratically, eyes almost vacant, devoid of thought. Powers grits his teeth, pushing himself up again even as tears start to be shed. "What did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!"

Dipper glances at Trigger, then back at Powers. "Testing." He grins again. "I wonder if he can still speak. Wanna see if he can?" The boy steps back from the two of them.

Powers glances at Dipper, then back at Trigger, before scrambling over to his partner as best he can, dragging blood on the floor. He practically cradles the other agent, holding him close to his chest. "Trigger? Buddy? Come on, come on man, talk to me."

The agent's lips move, but barely a sound escapes him. Then his head sporadically shakes back and forth. "The eye, the eye, the eye, the - the - the-"

Power's expression falls into one of nigh hopeless terror, tears streaming down his face now. "...No.."

"-will rise a-rise a-ri-ri-rise again over ash - ashes-"

"...Trigger, come on. Come back to me, please!" He starts shaking him softly, voice cracking.

"-falling - sun-" His hand grips one of Powers' arms. "I - I don't - want to be-be-be-"

The man's grip tightens, pulling him closer. "Yeah? What is it?"

"Sun - sun - leave, i want to leave-"

"..What? What are you saying?"

His grip tightens. "I want. To leave."

Powers slowly stares, his vision starting to blur around the edges, his hold slackening as his body starts to give out, and his eyes snap back to Dipper, hoping to cast one more look of hatred upon the child for what he's done.

The space around them is vacant of any other living thing, walls glinting coldly in the halflight.

\--

(NSFW Warning)

Dipper couldn't help but chuckle to himself one final time as he slips into his room undetected, gathering some clothes for a shower, cheeks hurting with how much he was smiling. He did it! The plan went off without a hitch! Oh, he couldn't wait to tell Bill about how easy it was! And that stunt with Powers; he didn't even know he could DO that! He smirks as he turns on the shower and entertains a few ideas of Bill's response. Maybe he'd be surprised. Or even a little angry. Jealous he missed out? Heheh. Maybe he was watching the entire time. Something about the uncertainty of this deity's response thrilled him, and he took his shirt off with deliberation as he considered how to word his achievements.

He shouldn't really leave out any details, but at the same time, that speech of his got really long-winded. That, and if Bill WAS watching him, it would be redundant.

He pauses suddenly at a slight revelation. The demon did have full access to his mind...Who says he wasn't being watched right now? He chews his lip, watching his reflection. He wouldn't be surprised if Bill could see through him, or if there was something in the room that gave him sight. He hums for a moment, then tilts his head. If Bill was in another realm, could he count as a ghost? If so, maybe the mirror....

Well, it was worth a shot. "Bill Cipher, Bill Cipher, Bill Cipher..."

He waits a moment, then puffs out his cheeks and exhales. "...Maybe it's really selective?"

He hums again, tapping his lip with a hand. He pauses, before turning and closing the window and door, letting the mirror fog up. He then reaches out to draw a Bill figure in the steam. He grins and waves at the little guy, satisfied with his doodle. "Bill Cipher, Bill Cipher, Bill Cipher. Can you hear me now?"

There was nothing for a few moments, then the drawing smiles at him, and a chuckle was heard. Seconds later, the mirror distorted, and Bill crawled out of it, landing on the edge of the sink. "Heheh! Yes, I can hear you, Pine Tree. Loud and clear."

Dipper's grin widens. "Good. I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh really? I'm all ears!" He lifts up a hand to the side of his upper angle, smirking.

Dipper chuckles. "Look at you, all eager and acute." He winks.

The demon's grin immediately drops and he turns around. "Fuck you." He starts climbing back in the mirror.

Dipper chuckles and reaches for one of his hands. "Wait, wait, wait. Sorry. Shouldn't have tried the pun."

"Yeah, you shouldn't have." He sighs and falls back into Dipper's arms. Literally.

Dipper pulls him close, grinning. "So are you actually here, or is it a ghost thing, or...?"

The demon hums, wrapping his arms around the boy's neck. "Well, it's kind of like a daydream right now; I'm not actually there in your world yet, and you're not technically asleep yet, but we can still interact. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. How long do we have?"

"As long as you want, Pine Tree." His eye flicks to the shower, then to Dipper, realizing he has no shirt, before smirking. "Was there a reason you called me here?"

Dipper suddenly flushes, holding him out at arms length. "I, uh, I, heh, I just wanted to tell you that, uh, the agents won't be bothering us anymore. I took care of them." His eyes dart around, the flush growing the longer he stands there.

Bill's smirk only widens, chuckling at the reaction as he reaches forward to pat the boy on the cheek. "I watched the whole thing, don't you worry. I have to say, I'm quite proud of you, Pine Tree."

"Y-you are?" He grins nervously, though his shoulders relax a bit.

"Of course I am. In fact, I was entertaining the idea of giving you a reward later but.." His eye glances Dipper over, the pupil thinning ever so slightly. The index finger of the hand on Dipper's face digs it's claw into his cheek ever so slightly, slowly dragging down. "You've given me some ideas."

Dipper shudders, eyes widening even as he presses into the hand. "What kind of ideas?"

"..Fun ones." Turning slightly, Bill raises his other hand to the mirror, drawing some weird sigil into the steam, which proceeds to flash blue. Bill lifts his legs up to float, pointing to the shower. "Take off your clothes and get inside."

Dipper shivers at the command and removes his shorts and boxers. He steps into the shower, leaning against the wall and eyeing Bill.

The demon looks him over, smirking a bit wider, chuckling. "Cute. Now...What to do.." He hims and haws in an almost mocking tone, wanting to tease the kid before things got interesting. Bill then pauses before chuckling and snapping his fingers.

Dark blue tendrils, decorated with luminescent stripes that carry a lighter hue, sprout from both Dipper's right, and his left. They begin tracing over his skin, wrapping around his arms firmly, but gently. He jumps, then relaxes and experimentally tugs at the tendrils. "Kinky."

Bill couldn't help but snort slightly at the remark, chuckling as he floats closer. "Dear God, kid! I know you're more adult then you seem, but wow." He smirks again, and the tendrils tighten their grip even more as he reaches forward, placing a hand on the boy's chest. He merely traces the skin with the very tips of his claws, teasingly, before suddenly raking downward.

"Ahh-!" He quivers, hands reflexively moving to grab his wrists. A breath passes his lips and he smirks as his skin reddens. "Bold for our first time. Not even gonna give me a safe word?"

The demon's smirk is downright devilish as he floats even closer, an inch away from the boy now, not even caring about the shower spray soaking them both. "I don't think you'll need one." He sprouts a few extra arms when the tendrils start rubbing against his torso, pressing and grinding against every sweet spot they can find.

Dipper arches, eyes fluttering and knees wobbling. A tendril slides around his back and over his stomach, others wrapping along his arms or legs in an eldritch embrace. He shudders as one creeps up his back and over his shoulder. It almost cups his chin as it traces over his jaw.

Bill purrs at the sight, his extra arms joining in on the action by clawing and scratching in random strokes and patterns, occasionally dipping further south but never going fully downward. The demon opens his mouth, slowly nipping and kissing his way up to the boy's mouth, letting a few beads of blood well to the surface.

Dipper shudders, tilting his jaw for the demon. Between moans and pants, he somehow finds his voice. "Such - such a tease."

Bill smirks again, chuckling. "My speciality." He dives in for a searingly heated kiss, with hints of fangs and tongue. A few tendrils curl in his hair, beginning to yank and tug, while a few others flick and rub at Dipper's nipples.

He gasps into Bill's mouth, body jerking as he tries to decide whether to press into his tendrils or mouth or hands. Bill purrs deeply, finally letting a hand drift down to wrap around Dipper's length, stroking softly, teasingly, barely even moving his hand.

The boy groans, bucking his hips at even the slightest touches. Out of frustration, he pulls Bill's lower lip into his mouth, nibbling.

"Mm!" That got Bill to groan, and he deepens the kiss as a retort, sliding his tongue into the boy's mouth. An extra hand begins to rub at a section on Bill's bottom side, which was looking increasingly slick, and the demon moans.

Dipper melts into the kiss, relaxing further and giving into Bill's pampering. As he kisses back, he tries to glance down at Bill's hand.  
Weird, shimmering black liquid was dripping from his claws as they frantically rubbed at a section in the middle of his bottom side, seeming to have an almost slimy consistency, considering how slowly it was moving down the drain. Bill's bricks seemed to be glowing brighter, and...darker as well.

Dipper moans lowly at the sight, tangling his tongue with Bill's as he works to move a hand free. A tentacle tightens after a tug or two, but let's go after a few more, instead preferring to slither down his back, stroking eerily close to his asshole. He gasps into Bill's mouth, hand tracing his lower corner. "Nnn..."

The demon couldn't help but moan, his bricks starting to turn a deep pink color as he grabbed Dipper's hand, placing it directly on his bottom side. A warm, pulsing slickness, with the texture and firmness of flesh, met his fingers. His breath stutters for a moment as his fingers slowly explore this new area. The slick coats his fingers, quickly dripping down to the floor.

Bill visibly shudders, letting out a soft groan, and he slowly pulls back from the kiss. His eye was wide with lust, and he seemed to be smirking softly, as if waiting for Dipper to say something.

The boy swallows at the look, then reflects the smirk back, bringing his fingers to his mouth and licking at the slickness coating them. He suckles, maintaining eye contact with Bill as if returning the question.

The demon's pupil shrinks at the sight, and all of the tendrils instinctively tighten, the extra arms digging their talons into his skin. "...Oh, you bastard.." Bill's voice comes out as a low hiss before he floats upward, gripping the boy's hair roughly before yanking his face into his lower half.

Dipper shudders at the rough treatment, mouth reflexively opening. His small moan is swallowed by Bill's slit. He tastes almost sweet, and he can't help but suckle a few times to acquaint himself with the taste.

Bill shuddered at the feeling, merely tugging Dipper's head harder against him, his bricks now starting to turn almost red in hue. The slick was caking itself against the boy's cheeks, carrying a mild fruity taste, warm in texture.

"Gods...Fuck, that's it..Harder, kid.." Bill couldn't help but rock his lower half, smirking as the talons and tendrils drag themselves over Dipper's skin, leaving angry red marks and blue trails over his body. One tendril slides down and wraps around his length, stroking softly.

Dipper keens, arching into Bill's tendril and body. His knees shake even as his tongue presses more insistently against him.

"Come on, you gotta have more then that!" He pulls Dipper back just enough to glance down at him, smirking. "Tell you what, the more you impress me, the more I'll impress you. Eh? Eh?" He tousles his hair almost playfully.

Dipper smirks at him, licking his lips and nodding. His black fluid drips down his chin.

"Good boy. Now get to it." He shoves his face into his slit again.

He pulls Bill closer, lapping and suckling at his slit, trying to press his tongue further into him.

The demon moans at that, though it sounds more like a growl, and his talons immediately start scratching and rubbing against certain spots on his skin, the tendrils flicking and rubbing his nipples.

The tendril around his length squeezes, starting to pump harshly. Bill purrs as he starts rutting against Dipper's tongue as well. "Just a bit more...Fuu...You'll see the..surprise.."

Dipper groans loudly, pressing further into Bill and rubbing along his edges. His hips undulate, desperate for more attention.

That got the demon to moan, bricks glowing a deep red by this point, slick pouring out so fast it was starting to drip down the boy's chest. The tendril that's been teasing Dipper's hole starts to rub harder, putting the faintest amount of pressure on the ring of muscle.

He gasps, pulling back for just a moment to take a breath. "Nngh..."

Bill smirks, the tendril starting to press deeper, rubbing harder, eagerly, while another was stroking and squeezing the boy's member steadily, roughly. The demon reaches down, spreading the folds of his slickness wide as something begins to slither out: a thick, yellow tentacle, dripping with the same black fluid, waving around wildly in the air.

Dipper groans as the tendril finally presses into him, body flush and tongue hanging as he eyes the new tendril in front of him.

Bill was purring even as he pants to himself, thrusting the tendril into the boy's body as rough as he can, twisting and plunging deeper and deeper. "Come on, kid. Don't leave me hanging..."

Dipper shudders, finally licking his lips and bringing his hands to Bill's length, trying and failing to not focus on his own pleasure. Jolting and groaning at each thrust, he licks along the writhing length and suckles at the tip. He barely has any time to react as it thrusts itself into his mouth, nearly going down his throat with the single movement.

"OH GOD-!" Bill's whole body stiffens for a few moments at the sheer feeling before he's gripping Dipper's skull, thrusting into his mouth and into his hole with as much force as he can muster.

The boy groans, barely managing to breathe between thrusts and loving the stuffed feeling it created. He could feel himself tense around Bill each time his breathing cuts off.

Bill was hunched over, rutting against the boy's face like an animal, gasping and hissing odd, ghostly words that seemed to curl and slither in Dipper's ears that was both incomprehensible, yet vaguely sensible. The demon's thrusting was growing more erratic by the second, black droplets starting to fly everywhere with every wet pounding.

Dipper's eyes roll back, the heat in his stomach coiling and hips jerking. The slick dribbles down his chin and throat.

Bill seems to let out an unearthly wail that makes all of the lights around them flicker, his bricks lighting up in a flash of random colors before everything goes dark.

All Dipper can feel is wave upon wave of black fluid spill into him, splashing up onto his skin like a tidal wave. His own body convulses, and he coughs as the fluid fills him too quickly. The tendril in his mouth slides away, spilling the rest of it's remains on his chest. The tendrils all shudder, obviously weakened, but still thrusting and stroking, trying to bring the boy release. He pants against Bill, gripping his sides and rutting his hips against the tendrils. A low groan escapes him as the tension in his stomach releases.

After a few moments of silence, the lights flicker back on again, Bill now leaning his eye against Dipper's forehead as his claws pet through the fluffy locks of hair, his bricks now a dull pink hue. The tentacles, as well as the extra arms, slowly start to retreat. Dipper leans heavily on the wall behind him, letting the water shower over him.

"...You ok, kid? Anything hurting?" Bill speaks up after a moment, sounding amazingly quiet.

He chuckles lightly. "Mm. A few things."

"Where?" He blinks, pulling away slightly, looking more alert.

Dipper chuckles again, tracing a few claw marks on his chest. "You worry too much."

"I can't help it; you've made it pretty clear how I'm a total dumbass when it comes to not wanting to hurt people. Well, specific people. Blugh, you get the point." He grumbles slightly as he presses a hand to that spot, starting to heal it.

Dipper takes his hand to stop him. "I like it." He tilts his head slightly, closing Bill's hand and kissing his knuckles. "You're not the only one fucked up in the head."

The demon stares for a few moments, eye filled with vague, almost conflicting emotions, before the kisses seem to throw him off his guard. He blushes harshly, looking away almost shyly. "Heh...I suppose."

Dipper's grin softens slightly. "I know what I'm getting into. And I trust you with me, so don't worry. If there's something wrong, I'll tell you."

Bill glances back at him, and his grin grows. "..Thanks, Pine Tree." He leans down for a kiss.

He meets him halfway, kissing softly. Bill purrs louder, his arms wrapping around Dipper's neck, claws stroking the skin softly. The boy merely hums, gently nibbling his lip.

"Mmm.." Bill shivers slightly, the kiss growing a tad bit deeper. An extra pair of arms grow out of the demon's sides and start rubbing at his skin, assisting in washing away the black sludge.

Dipper quivers, letting him do so. A foggy sense of sleep comes to him, but the water helps him stay awake.

Bill, sensing this, slowly pulls away, purring softly. "Get cleaned up, ok, kid? Then get some sleep, you deserved it."

"Mm. Okay. You rest a little too, okay? You've been pretty stressed." He slicks his hair back and stretches.

That same vague look comes back in his eye, but only for a moment, and the demon chuckles, darting in for one last smooch before disappearing in a puff of smoke. The symbol on the mirror instantly evaporates. Dipper sighs quietly to himself, then turns off the water and steps out of the shower. He grabs his towel and dries off, mindful of the scratches and bite marks littering his skin.

\--

Ford sighs to himself as he sits back at his desk, floating once more in the astral plane, eyes darting around at all of the notes and eyes and equations that pass him by. It had been a long day, having to deal with the worry of the townsfolk, as well as rerouting the plans to fit the new timeline better. Those damn agents were making everyone so skittish, so nervous, and if any wrong move was made, it could all topple down.

He sighs to himself, rubbing his eyes softly, trying to avoid the visions drifting in and out of the edges of his glasses. Damn scrying; why couldn't he have picked a glass ball or a goblet of water? Why did he have to choose his own fucking glasses?

He leans his head back after a moment, taking a breath. He should probably sleep for real tonight, seeing how long he'd been working on this whole fiasco, but he knew something would happen as soon as he put his head down.

There was a small, comedic pop as Bill appeared in the Mindscape, and Ford had to stare for a moment because holy shit he has never seen Bill smile so hard before. "...Uh...Are you ok? Did Teeth sneak meth into your martini again?"

Bill laughs and it's not one of his usual laughs. "No, no, no. It's better than that."

The old man stares for a few moments, blinking, before his face grows into one of shock, and a slight bit of horror. "...No."

"Yes." His grin grows further.

"No!" Ford's hands go to his hair, now looking increasingly more horrified.

"YES."

"NO!!"

"And he LOVED it."

"LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Ford sticks his fingers in his ears, face growing increasingly red. "REALITY IS FAKE AND TIME IS A LIE AND ALL THAT BULLSHIT LA LA LA LA!!"

Bill snickers, repeatedly poking his chest and nose. "He loved it, he loved it, he loved it-"

"OK, ENOUGH!" Ford bats his claws away, now looking as red as a tomato. "WAS THERE ANY REASON YOU CAME YOU HERE BESIDES GLOATING ABOUT FUCKING MY GRAND-NEPHEW?!"

Bill hums, his grin suddenly dropping. "Not necessarily. But i suppose there are a few things I could tell you." The triangle then straightens his bow tie, going quiet for a few seconds. "...Tomorrow, Shooting Star is going to sneak into your house in order to get the mirror with the ghost trapped in it. I need you to, and follow me on this...let her have it."

Ford stares, blinking. Then he glares. "What? Are you serious? It took Dipper nearly dying to get the ghost into that mirror-"

Bill growls, his body flashing red as a puff of steam erupts from his bricks. "Ok, FIRST OF ALL, PINE TREE WAS OK, HE WAS ALWAYS OK, IN EVERY TIMELINE HE WAS OK SO STOP HARPING ON THAT!"

The demon pauses before taking a deep breath, spawning a margarita and chugging it swiftly. This repeats at least 10 more times before his bricks fade back to yellow, the demon now idly swirling the 12th drink in his claws as he stares down at Ford, eyelid half-lidded in frustration. "...Second of all, it's very important to the timeline that she gets that mirror. It was the whole reason why I made that damn ghost so strong in the first place!"

Ford stares for a few moments. "...What?"

Bill huffs, arms folding. "What? You really think I would go through the pains of giving a gibbering lumberjack spirit a piece of my energy for the sake of "making things more interesting?" That was just me trying to save face in front of Pine Tree so I couldn't tell him the truth! Admittedly, it did backfire, but I handled it!"

Ford frowns. "Alright.... Can I ask why she needs it?"

"Hmm...She needs it to at least give her a chance. That's all I can say." Bill suddenly frowns, snapping his fingers. "Hey, Hey! I see your glasses! No scrying!"

Ford huffs, crossing his arms. "Fine, fine. I'll leave it alone.... I hope you know what you're doing."

"Of course I know what I'm doing. I've planned out everything, Sixer. Everything." His eye goes almost vacant, almost as if he was deep in thought, before he blinks, and smirks. "Oh, and Pine Tree got rid of the agents bye!" With a puff of smoke, he's gone.

Ford coughs, waving a hand to try and dispell the smoke, then freezes. "WHAT!?"

\--

The night was calm, clean, and it would've been silent were it not for the cacophony of cicadas and crickets that filled the air with their hisses and chittering and chirps. Though the sounds did nothing to muffle the slow approach of footsteps stomping down upon the grass, slowly but steadily climbing up toward the hill. The man sighs as he approaches a hatch hidden in the ground. He pulls it open without needing to bend over, his eyes almost searching for something at the bottom of the ladder.

The slender neck of a tall bottle meets his lips before he looks down again. He pours the wine down the shaft, crouching near the hole. "Now, I know this isn't gonna do much for you two, but I doubt it's gonna hurt either." He stops pouring, sloshing the cup of liquid around in the bottom of the glass. Shaking his head, he stoppers the bottle and wedges the neck under the hatch door. Glancing over his shoulder one last time, he stands and wanders into the woods.


	23. The Scavenger Hunt (and a big surprise)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, this chapter was hell. It was never meant to take this long, Oh my God. I'm so sorry, it'll never take this long again, holy shit. There was just so much going on, the holidays, the flu, school work.
> 
> It was a mess. It'll never happen again. Hopefully we'll be back on a better track.

Mabel sits quietly at the table in the kitchen, staring down at an uneaten plate of scrambled eggs and bacon, mind rather lost in thought. It had been a day since she had that deal with Gideon, and with every second she swore she could feel her stomach shrivel into a hard knot, heart in her throat at the thought of what she had to do next. How Dipper even managed to function with all this anxiety running amok in his system, she'll never know. It was probably the most horrid thing she had ever felt in her life, and that was saying a lot, given their past.

Speaking of Dipper, he actually was asleep when she woke up, and seemed rather refreshed when he came down the stairs. He currently sits next to Mabel, humming softly as he eats. His feet swing under the table.

Seeing Dipper so happy should've been making her smiling with joy, should've been making her heart soar, should've instantly dashed all worrying thoughts that plagued her in the back of her mind. But instead, all she could feel was a bitter poison that seemed to drain her of any feeling, leaving behind nothing but an empty numbness. With a sigh, she pushed her plate away, fists clenching ever so slightly.

Dipper blinks, swallowing a bite of egg. "You okay, Mabel?"

"I'm not really hungry right now. Guess I had a big dinner last night, huh?" Her lips twitch up in a light grin, which was convincingly sincere.

Dipper nods and returns the grin. "You went out, right?"

She nods back after a moment, grinning now more uneasily. "Uh, yeah. That's right."

"Maybe you need some sleep." He takes another bite of egg.

"..Maybe. You can have my breakfast if you want." She stands from the table, walking toward the stairs.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'll eat later.." She waves a hand dismissively, walking up the stairs to her room. She sighs as soon as she shuts the door behind her, rubbing her face in both hands. She looks up, mouth turning into a bitter frown at the sight of the curtains pulled back, exposing that triangular window. She swears it was almost staring at her. Narrowing her eyes, she gives the window the finger as she walks over to it, angrily jerking the curtains shut...only to blink and pull them back open when she hears a sudden commotion outside.

The door to Ford's house suddenly flings open, and a rather young man, looking to be around his mid 20's, with a big blue haircut and a bit of hair on his chin, comes sprinting out, wearing a black leather jacket, ripped blue jeans, and a weird looking shirt that has a picture of a margarita on it. He was holding several strange objects, possibly knick-knacks Ford left scattered around his house, and...was that a sandwich?

Ford himself comes rushing out after, face red with anger and holding a broom over his head, shouting quite a lot of curses as they both go running into the woods. Mabel stares for a few seconds, before glancing at the window...which was now staring at her. She stares back, giving an almost empty glare. "..Fuck you." She closes the curtains again and turns to grab her bag.

She slings it over her shoulder and pauses at the door to the room. Dipper couldn't see her. There was a backdoor to the shack, but he might see her through the window at the table.....She glances back at the window. Should she risk it?

She bites her lip, mind a frantic, blazing whirlwind of panicked thoughts and ideas. She had to take this chance to go in and get the mirror, Ford was out of the house and far away, and she wasn't sure when or if she would be able to do it later. But at the same time, she was virtually pinned, unable to make a single move without being spotted...Unless...

Hands trembling, she slowly reaches out and pushes the window open, climbing up to balance on the windowsill. Her heart was pounding in her chest, frantic, nerves screaming at her that this was a bad idea. But at the same time, she knew she had to do it. She carefully lowers herself over the sill and stretches her legs for any purchase on the wall. After a moment, she takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "..3..2..1!" She heaves herself off the side of Stan's house, hurtling herself toward the roof of Ford's, arms outstretched in a desperate attempt to ace the landing.

However, she could see herself falling too soon, and she came down hard on the very edge of the roof. She feels a horrid pain slice up the front of her leg as it crashes into the side of the gutter pipe, and she barely bites back a scream, tears filling her eyes as she feels blood starting to pour down her skin, hot, throbbing pain lancing through her body. She holds a sharp breath, resting for a moment before pulling herself up to the roof. Her arm protests, but she manages to swing a leg over the edge and crawl a safe distance toward the nearest window.

It was, oddly enough, wide open, and Mabel found herself tumbling inside and onto the floor, where she laid there, clutching her wounded leg and hissing sharply through her teeth. She slowly stretches it out to get a good look at the wound, sitting up, trying not to look at the blood on her hands. Blood slicks down her leg, and the wound seems to travel the full length of her calf. She shivers and presses her hands over the cut.

"Fuck..Fuck, fuck, fuck..." She bites her lip as she grabs the edge of a nearby sink with a hand, slowly pushing herself up to her feet, trying not to make too much noise. She goes to grab for a towel, only to gasp sharply as something suddenly pokes her in the back of her neck. Without warning, darkness floods her vision and she falls to the ground, unconscious.

\--

A pair of spindly arms catches her as she falls, an eye glancing her over before setting her down on the ground. "Really fell on some bad luck, didn't you, kiddo?" The figure sighs heavily before opening up a cabinet and shifting through it. "No wonder she told me to keep an eye on you.."

They eventually find a long forgotten first aid kit. A box of gauze, antiseptic, cleaning wipes, thread, and a needle are snatched from inside. They stretch out her leg as best they can, and sigh again, before getting to work. "...Hopefully this all works out for you. I sure hope it does."

\--

Mabel found herself coming back to herself, vision swimming ever so slightly, flat on her back against the cold hard tile of the bathroom floor. She blinks groggily, sitting up sluggishly and rubbing her eyes. "Ugh..." She brushes her hair back and blearily glances around the room. "When did I...? Shit." She pulls herself to her feet, using the bathtub as a support.

She blinks suddenly at a pulling sensation on her skin, and glances down with wide eyes. Her leg had been completely wrapped up, stitches and all, a thick sheet of gauze wrapped around her calf. The wound stung but not as much as before. "...Weird, but I'll take it." She carefully opens the door to the hall and sneaks out, glancing around for anywhere Ford would put the mirror.

From the looks of it, this seemed to be just the second floor, and aside from a few dreamcatchers on the wall, nothing seemed to be here. There was one door on her left, and another door on the other side of the wall, a few feet to her right. She glances hesitantly at the stairs, and then hurries to the first door. She opens it with a flourish, blinking at the sight of an almost plain-looking bedroom. Aside from dreamcatchers, there was nothing else out of the ordinary. And...there was the mirror. Just sitting there.

...Is this some kind of trap? She picks up the mirror and gets zapped or locked up by the cult or something? She bites her lip, nervousness crawling in her veins, quietly thinking over what to do. "..Shit, shit, shit.." After a few seconds, she takes off her sweater, curls it into a ball, and tosses it at the mirror. The sweater lands on the mirror and slides it forward a few inches, then stops. Nothing happens.

Mabel lets out a breath she had been holding, furrowing her brow in confusion as she inches closer and closer to the bed. Her eyes kept darting around for any runes or flashing lights or a shadow being, heart pounding in her chest. Nothing appears, even when she picks up the mirror and stuffs it in her bag. She worries her lip for a few moments, frozen like a deer in headlights. No traps spring, no alarms ring. The silence was almost deafening.

She practically bolts out the room and down the stairs, skidding to a stop just as she reaches the front. Shit, the front. She can't go out the front, not without being seen on all sides! She turns and hurries to the backdoor. She's so close to getting out, so close!

She manages to bust through the back just as she hears the front door start to open. She runs, she runs hard and fast into the woods and doesn't stop even for a second. Leaves and twigs crunch under her feet, and then water seeps into her shoes. She doesn't stop until she makes it to a roaring waterfall, deer and other forest life mulling near the river's edge. She practically collapses against the edge of the river, panting horribly and taking deep breaths in an attempt to quell her heaving lungs. Shakily, she lifts the mirror to look it over, cheeks flushed with exhaustion.

It looks almost exactly like it had before, only the mirror itself is dimmer than she remembers. She raises a brow at it before hesitantly knocking on the glass. "Hello?"

The surface shimmers, rippling as if water, then stills. Mabel sighs in relief and slowly gets to her feet, wobbling ever so slightly on account of her wounded leg. She looks around the area, furrowing her brow. She had the mirror, but no way to alert Gideon to the fact she had it; Squeaky was back home. She bites her lip, bringing a hand through her hair. She couldn't just go back home, and she couldn't change the plan with Gideon. If she could find a way to send a message to Squeaky.... Her eyes land on the body of water in front of her. Axolotls like water, right?

Mabel slowly, carefully dips her hand into the cold waters, shivering at the biting chill. "Come on...Come on..."

A bubble breaks the surface. Then another, and another. A trio of pink heads surface, tongues lolling out of their mouths.

She couldn't help but giggle at the sight, holding her hand out toward them. "Hey there, you guys."

They chirp and swim closer, one leaping up to her hand but not quite landing. It squeals and falls back into the water with a splash.

Mabel couldn't help but giggle, putting the mirror down and scooping the last Axolotl up into her arms. "Heheh! You're just adorable!"

"Blep!" They stick out their tongues again, one crawling to her shoulder and nuzzling her cheek.

"Heheh. Ok, ok, that's enough. I need some help here. Can you go and get someone for me?"

They perk up and tilt their heads, a soft sort of determination in their gaze. It's about as close to a nod as she'll get.

She grins at them. "Thanks. Oh, uhh, he'll look like this." She raises her hands and does her best to hold her hair up in a fashion style similar to Gideon, then makes a sneering face.

They all make a low noise of what she assumes to be recognition, and then nuzzle her hands and scurry off. She grins, before walking over to a tree and sitting down beneath it, sighing to herself. She looks down at her wounded leg, only to blink at the sight of something sticking out of a layer of gauze. Slowly, she pulls it out, revealing a light blue feather, soft as silk, and almost seeming to sparkle in the daylight.

"...Where'd this come from?" She purses her lips and glances at her leg again. Perhaps the more important question would be WHY it was in her bandaging in the first place. And who the hell fixed her bandages. That would be nice to know. There was no one in the house with her, hell, no one even knew she was THERE. And she certainly didn't know anyone with feathers of all things. Maybe Gideon would know something about it. To be honest, anything could be possible in this town.

\--

It took about twenty minutes or so, but soon, someone could be heard approaching the area. Judging by the rather piggish squealing of 'Ew, Ew, Ew, Ew!', it was most likely Gideon. Mabel looks up from where she leans against a tree. For a moment, she considers standing to greet him, then thinks better with her leg. "That took a while."

"They fucking snuck into my bed while I was sleeping!" The little midget was finally visible, stomping toward her in a huff, two of the Axolotls buried in his hair, squeaking, while another was firmly clinging to his left cheek, tongue sticking out.

She grins at the sight. "Well, this is important. I got it."

"You did?!" The boy blinks before rushing toward her, blinking in shock. "I-I mean, I know you did, you would have to, but..That fast?!"

"Ford left his house this morning, chasing after some guy." She pulls herself to her feet and shows him the mirror. "I was in and out before he got back."

"..Really? And there was no...traps or anything?" He pauses, blinking. "..What happened to your leg?"

"Oh, uh." She glances down at her leg. "I jumped from Stan's roof to Ford's. But, yeah, there weren't any traps. It was just kinda... sitting on a table."

"..You...You jumped?" He stares, and even the axolotls blink in shock.

"Yeah. It was the only way I'd get in without being seen."

"..Well, at least you got it patched up right." He bends down slightly to look over the bandages. "Don't see any flaws at all."

"I, uh, didn't patch it up." She rubs her neck. "I got into the house, then passed out and woke up in the bathroom."

"Wait, what?" Gideon blinks again, straightening up, his expression rather dumbfounded. "Didn't you say Ford was out of the house?"

"Yeah. No one was in the house, that I know of." She shows him the feather. "Whoever it was left this, though."

He takes the feather and holds it up to the light, squinting. The Axolotls lean up to sniff at the strange object, before sticking their tongues out. After a moment, Gideon holds the feather closer to an eye, trying to get a better look. "...It ain't like any bird I've ever seen around here."

"That's what I was thinking." She goes silent, then shakes her head. "Well, we should probably head off to... do whatever it is we need to do."

He rolls his eyes at that and tucks the feather into his jacket. "Did you make your little flying-lizards grab Pacifica too?"

"Er." She frowns. "No. And they're axolotls, not lizards. I forgot to bring Squeaky too."

He rolls his eyes again before grumbling a few curses under his breath, pulling out a phone and starting to dial. "You're damn lucky I brought my phone.." He puts the phone to his ear as it begins to ring.

Mabel sighs and crosses her arms, leaning against the tree. She picks the axolotls from Gideon's hair and waits. All 3 of the little lizards immediately snuggle up against her, chirping and squeaking happily, tongues darting out to give kisses.

Gideon taps his foot for a few moments before the other end picks up. "Hello? Pacifica?"

"Who else would it be, the boogeyman?"

"Shut up. I just wanted to make sure; god knows how many times your butlers go through your things."

"Whatever."

"Listen, Mabel got the mirror. Get down here." He hangs up, sighing. "Christ.."

Mabel blinks. "Is she coming?"

"Yeah, she's coming, don't worry. It'll just take a bit."

She hums before sitting down again, exhaling. The sudden urge to curl up and sleep fell over her. Just retrieving the mirror was incredibly taxing and stress inducing. Now she... what? Help Gideon perform a spell, retrieve a few artifacts, and... hope the Seamstress sets things right.

Gideon sighs again after a few moments, before turning to face her. "I think we should head down to the lake. Best to get out of view of these trees as fast as we can."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Should we wait for Pacifica, though?"

"She knows to go down to the lake. When we know it's her, I'll let her in." He starts walking, eyes darting around.

She follows, only managing to keep up as a result of her taller nature. "Do you think her parents would think anything is off?"

"If there's anything I learned about the Northwests, is that they only care about what she's doing when it's a matter of publicity. Anytime there's a crowd, they condition her to act the way they deem right. When there's no crowd, they don't pay attention at all."

"...That's kinda messed up." She shivers, catching one of the axolotls as they slip off her shoulder.

"Everyone in this town is messed up." He kicks at a rock, sighing. They both go quiet after that, hurriedly making their way to Gideon's hideout. The trees slowly thin out around them. The lake eventually comes into view, shimmering and sparkling with the sunlight over the horizon. Gideon glances around before pointing over to a large rocky cliff near the edge of the waterfall. "There."

She follows his finger to the cliff. "I don't see it, but I guess that's a good thing."

"There's a section of the cliff that fell away, so there's a opening of the waterfall we can slip through." He starts walking toward it.

She follows. "No one else knows about it?"

"Oh, Ford definitely knows about it.." He flattens himself against the cliff wall as he tries to inch his way past the roaring water that's literally inches away from him.

"I thought the point was to go somewhere no one knew of." Mabel stops, frowning. Wasn't that the deal? To go somewhere only Gideon knew?

Gideon sighs, holding a hand out to her. "He knows about the opening behind the waterfall, yeah. But he doesn't know about the entrance behind that."

She blinks. "Oh. I suppose that makes sense." She hesitantly takes his hand and starts inching along with him, holding her breath as if that would assist her in avoiding the fall into the waterfall's stream.

Eventually, the rocky wall gives way to the mouth of a cave, and Gideon grins as he walks toward it. "The entrance is perfectly concealed, and even if Ford found it, there's no way he could unveil it." He points at a giant rock sitting at the very back, looking perfectly normal against the expanse of black stone. Gideon turned and grins at her triumphantly. "In fact, the only thing that can move the rock is my...amulet...Fuck." His expression falls away into that of a shocked realization, that slowly turns into a sort of internal shame.

Mabel simply stares at him, unimpressed. She really should have seen this coming, if she were honest with herself. "You're kidding me."

"Hey! You're the one who smashed it in the first place!" He huffs, crossing his arms angrily.

"You tried killing my brother," she snaps. "Don't think I just forgot about that."

Something in Gideon's face tightens, and he looks down at the ground, fists clenching harshly, body turning away. "..Yeah, I did. And it was all for nothing."

She laughs and shakes her head. "You think it would have been for something if you killed him? Would the praise be worth having blood on your hands?"

He lets out a bitter laugh, whirling around to face her, that familiar, sneering smirk on his face. "Praise? I wouldn't have gotten praise. I would've obtained power no mortal could even comprehend. Sure, that Oracle of yours may know about Bills, but she has no idea about this one. This one, this Bill is unlike anything ever seen before. The fact he exists at all is so unbearable that even the Axolotl himself has yet to find out any secrets. Becoming the Eye's pupil, his protege, would've been worth everything...."

His face suddenly falls, and anger steps in to the front of his mind. "...But it was a lie. I never had the chance at all; he was going to pick your monster of a brother no matter what. He just...used me, baited me, like a fucking mouse that a cat bats around with just before biting it's head off.."

Mabel stares, then exhales and looks away. "Let's just focus on getting this rock to move."

Gideon rolls his eyes, throwing his hands up in the air. "Well, how the hell do you expect me to do that? I don't have an amulet, and I know for a fact this thing is too big to move!"

"We're in a town overflowing with magical objects and creatures. I honestly doubt your amulet was the only thing capable of lifting this rock."

"IT WAS THE ONLY THING I HAD WITH ME! AND IT'S NOT LIKE I CAN GET MORE MAGIC WITH THE WHOLE OF THE TOWN BREATHING DOWN MY NECK!"

She practically growls. "I'm not saying you do anything! I'm just thinking that I could find something to get us inside this damn hideout!" She hits the rock with the bottom of her fist. The rock suddenly begins to tremble, it's features starting to light up in a bright blue. After a moment of unsteady shaking, the boulder suddenly shoves to the right abruptly, exposing a massive hole in the wall.

"Uh...." Mabel glances at her hand, and even the axolotls look shocked, swiveling their heads in confusion. "I didn't do that, right?"

"...I have no fucking idea." Gideon could only respond by blinking dumbly. "..Maybe the rock became enchanted or sentient by absorbing the magic from my amulet?"

"Uh... Okay." She steps up to the rock and knocks on it. "Hello? Are you sentient?"

Nothing happens, and Gideon sighs. "Look, we don't have time for this, just get in the damn cave!"

"Hey, you said it was sentient." She frowns, but walks in anyways.

Gideon runs in down the tunnel, stumbling slightly as the boulder slides back into place, causing a slight tremor to form. Mabel holds onto a wall before following, squinting in the half-light, careful not to try and knock the three lizards over.

Both of them end up walking downwards in a slow spiral, and when they emerge at the bottom, they're standing on a ledge overlooking a giant lake of water that's filled to the brim with an extravagant coral reef. Colors of all shades coat the bottom of this natural pool, and fish of all shapes and sizes dart to and fro. The ceiling is massive, arching in a dome, and the rock of the left wall has been eroded away, forming a curved bubble that's blanketed with sand. Gideon smirks a bit, chuckling. "Heh. Glad to see this reef survived."

"Geez. It's massive." Mabel walks up to the edge, kneeling down to peer over it, eyes wide. "I wish I brought my phone."

"Yeah, I found this place as a dank pocket of brown sludge. A few drops from the sacred stream of a water nymph sure spruced it up though." He walks up to the edge before starting to climb down the ledge. "C'mon, I carved out that little section there and made some sand so there's a place to sit."

Mabel blinks and lowers herself down the ledge, one of the axolotls clinging harder to her head as a result. "Didn't think you had any interests other than Bill."

His shoes hit the sand, and he turns to look up at her, utterly dumbfounded. "..I'm 10; of course I have other interests. Bill was just my biggest one, you know, with the whole thing about the entire town I grew up in worshipping him."

"Oh, right. I keep forgetting that." She plops down next to him, to which all of the axolotls climb down her arms, diving into the water with a splash and chirps of joy. "Still a bit weird."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a fucking psycho and shit." He sighs at that before sitting down in the sand, taking a moment to watch all the fish and lizards swimming in the lake.

"No, no, that's - I didn't say that - I mean, you...." She sighs and sits down next to him. "Look, you tried killing my brother multiple times. You're okay with murder. That's... not normal."

Gideon lets out a snort of bitter amusement, rolling his eyes. "EVERYONE is ok with murder here. Murdering wildlife? No one bats an eye. Murdering the escapees and outcasts? Hell, they see it as a fucking party. Murdering outsiders? Regular occurrence. Shit, if you weren't so up and front about being blood relatives of Stanford, then they probably would've killed you too." He points at her, almost glaring. "That's what they do in this town; take them in, rob them, wipe their minds and let them go if the outside world will notice if they go missing, and if they won't be..." He goes quiet, miming a gun with his hand as he points his finger at his temple.

There was a brief pause, and he sighs again, lowering his hand. "...I thought I was special, you know. I was one of the only symbols still left alive in this town, still loyal to the Eye and all his preachings by the hands of his Disciple. I could do magic, I used it to protect the folks from all the monsters that threatened to slaughter us, I followed every rule and sacred word in hopes of getting his favor...I wanted to prove I was better then all the others so they would never begin to suspect me too. And it was working for the most part; Ford gave me one of his trusted Journals, I had an amulet that gifted me with incredible power, I even began to build up some public authority..."

He suddenly smirks again, chuckling, again, bitterly. "And then you two walk in, and all of a sudden everything is in doubt. Your fucking monster of a brother caught Bill's eye like a moth to a bug zapper, and...I began to feel scared. What if Dipper began turning everyone against me? What if the town began suspecting me again? What if I was marked as an outsider? I..I panicked." He takes a moment to rub his eyes. "..To be frank, I never tried killing him the first time; that was just a mixture of fear, anger, and a lot of blood-loss. The second time was because Bill told me he stole the ring...Bill told me a lot of things. Like how Dipper would laugh at me, gloat about beating me, jeer about how stupid and weak I was, even threatening to make the town hate me. I just got so sick of him. I wanted him gone. I thought that if I killed him, I could prove how much I was willing to sacrifice to stay loyal. That I would go so far as to kill someone to do it....Heh. Well, you can see how that went." He dimly rubs at his elbow, where the cast is covered up by his coat sleeve.

Mabel couldn't do much other than stare, mouth agape and eyes wide. She had realized that the town was weird, and the townspeople were pretty vicious, but.... For EVERYONE to just be okay with murder....She slowly closes her mouth after a moment, looking away and sighing deeply. "..In hindsight, I should've expected that this place was knee-deep in blood...Look...I.." She pauses, letting her hand dip into the shallow waves that lapped at the shoreline. "..What do you want me to say?"

"I don't..." He sighs. "I want you to realize that I'm trying to make amends. We're on the same side now."

"..Amends, huh?" She regarded him for a moment, her expression hard to follow. "....You hurt my brother, and by extension you hurt me. Do you regret that?"

"No, I don't. We weren't on the same side and your brother and I were in the running for an important position." He tosses a pebble into the water, nearly hitting an axolotl in the head . "You kicked my teeth in and pummeled me with a bat. Regret that?"

"No....My brother..We both lived in a really shitty place, and considering my outburst at the restaurant, you can already guess what my parents were like. But the other kids? They didn't like me, and they HATED Dipper. Beat him up, spread horrible rumor after horrible rumor, extorted work out of him....One night got really bad, and..he was nearly killed."

"Let me guess: it haunts the both of you to this very day, and it's why he's so attracted to Bill's plans." He tosses another pebble, making a lizard hiss and flare their fins.

"..Pretty much. I mean, I can only assume that's why Dipper likes Bill so much. It's really anyone's guess." She tosses a stone and it skips across the water. One of the axolots tries to fetch it for her.

"Did he kill him?" Gideon glances to her, a sort of frown on his face.

She blinks at the sudden question, and frowns deeply. Before she can respond though, there was a distant knocking coming from the upper level, followed by a voice. "HELLO?! HELLOOOO?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?! LET ME IN!"

Mabel sighs and stands up, wiping sand off her skirt. "I'll get her. You start prepping the mirror or whatever you need to do to perform the spell."

"'Kay."

She climbs back up the ledge and walks toward the entrance, wincing at how piercing Pacifica was getting. "Do you have to be so loud?"

"Just open up. I'm gonna ruin my coat."

"Why would you bring a coat?"

"It's cold out here. God, just open up!" She pounds on the entrance again.

The rock slides away just as Pacifica says that, and Mabel sighs a bit. "Ok, you're in. Go."

She steps inside, shivering. Her hair is pulled into a bun, and her nails glint as if recently polished. "What took so long? I've been out there for ages."

"It's a long way down. What's up with the hairdo?" She raises a brow.

"I... just felt like wearing it like this?" She stares, then rolls her eyes and walks down the way to the cave. "I swear, if you two left me out there so you could make-out with each other...."

The response was immediate and completely deadpan. "I'd sooner gut myself with a rusty fish hook then do that."

She shakes her head, undoubtedly rolling her eyes at the statement. "Where is Gideon anyways?"

"He's down at the bottom, prepping the mirror. Watch your step when we get down there; wouldn't want your hairspray to poison the fish."

"I don't use hairspray," she grumbles, but takes careful movements nonetheless.

When they get down there, Gideon could be seen looking the mirror over, eyes narrowed in thought. Mabel hums, raising a brow. "And here I was thinking he'd need fish blood or something."

Gideon lets out a small noise, but doesn't turn away from the mirror. "I need to focus."

"What for, exactly?" Pacifica slowly climbs down to the beach, trying not to chip or ruin her nails.

He sighs and turns to them. "I need to try and find a way to siphon Bill's power from the mirror. It takes a while of just mentally prodding around the thing to find it."

"Really?" Mabel blinks before grabbing ahold of it, not yet pulling it from Gideon's hand. "Is that what that weird tingling is?"

"Yeah. The weird tingling." He pulls it back to himself. "It's his raw power, and the ghost. It's pretty potent stuff too, so let's be a bit more careful, alright?"

She frowns, staring down at her hand as she wriggles her fingers in thought. She could feel it tingle against her skin, like that of a glove or mitten, and yet it wasn't fading away. "..Is it supposed to feel all...strange?"

"Probably." Gideon flips the mirror over and inspects the back. "It'll go away after a bit though."

One of the axolots lifts it's head up out of the water, sticking out its tongue almost curiously before waddling up to Gideon, making an effort to stand on it's hind legs, front paws waving wildly to catch the rim of the mirror. Gideon, as soon as he notices the little thing, gives out a shrill screech and yanks away from the axolotl. "Get it away from me!"

Mabel huffs and makes a grab at the mirror, trying to force his hand to angle it down at the salamander. "Stop being a big fucking baby!"

"It's - it's poisonous, impure - it-" He tries to pull away, hands slipping slightly on the handle.

"Oh shut UP!!" She shoves him away so hard he tumbles over onto his back, ripping the mirror from his hands, glaring at him for a moment before she lowers it to the ground. Gideon watches, terrified, as the axolotl waddles close and sets its front paws on the mirror's rim.

It blinks slowly, before it tilts its head side to side, peering at the glass with each eye carefully. Then it's eyes close, and it begins humming loudly, a soft growling in the throat that seemed to echo throughout the cave. The other axolotls lift their heads and quickly climb out of the water, scrambling to grab the mirror and follow suit.

Pacifica makes her way over, frowning. "What are they doing?"

"..I don't know.." Mabel was watching with slightly wide eyes, staring in confusion as the axolotls hum, blue stripes of light darting from their paws, seeping into the mirror's surface like ink through water. The humming grew louder, stronger, and it wasn't long before all three of them suddenly expand their frills as much as they can, and their eyes pop open, shining a brilliant white. Mabel couldn't help but yelp, body jolting, as a crackling ball of light and swirling colors pops out of the mirror's surface, about the size of a chicken's egg.

Gideon slowly sits up, staring in shock. "...I...How could they...?"

Mabel didn't respond for a minute, simply staring at the orb of energy floating there, her eyes taking in the way it shimmered and crackled. It seemed almost...familiar. She finally shakes her head to snap herself out of it, smiling down at the axolotls. "Thanks, guys."

Their tongues slip out and they pull away from the mirror, frills lowering and eyes returning to normal. The orb dissipates, falling back into the mirror. She turns toward Gideon and holds out the mirror, smirking at him smugly. "Those 'poisonous, impure' axolotls just went and fished out Bill's energy. You better say sorry, you big fucking baby."

"Wow, geez. Not gonna think about the last TEN YEARS he's been living here taking everything Bill and your uncle Ford have been saying as truth, are you?" Pacifica crossed her arms.

Her grin drops and she sighs, a hand coming up to rub her face as she nods. "Right, right. Sorry....He DID try and bludgeon my brother to death with this very mirror after he nearly got choked to death. Kind of hard not to hold a grudge."

"Yeah, well, maybe you should think before you speak or something." She kneels and gently pets one of the axolotls, nose crinkling slightly.

She looks aside, her expression looking vaguely hurt, then back at Gideon, holding a hand out for him to take, silently. He takes the offer, standing but not approaching the axolotls. Mabel shifts, before handing him the mirror. "So...Think you can work your magic on that?"

"Yeah," he says, looking down at the mirror. "I'll need a moment."

She nods, sitting down beside the axolotls, who proceed to nestle in her lap. Gideon shifts, then moves toward the middle of the shore and faces the open water. "When I start, some things might start flying around. And I'll be usin' the lake as a scrying surface, so the images of where we'll be goin' will be on the water. One of you need to watch the water while the other needs to watch what I say. Understand?"

He kneels without waiting for a reply and sets the topmost edge of the mirror into the water. His hands submerge in the shallows on either side of it, pressing into the soft sand beneath the surface. "Peto bonae exauditiones fortunae descendere lumine Acheronis," he calls, eyes glaring into the mirror and water. The silver rim seems to glow faintly as he speaks. "Dona me quos sciantur cum ardorem quinqueperitorum rebus facet!" His head snaps upwards, eyes smoldering a bluish-grey and mouth agape, and a ripple fans out through the lake ahead of them. The surface shimmers, then darkens with inky tendrils until nothing but black ice could be seen. The water is impossibly still. All sound is dampened. "Responde: sunt ubi res quas petemus?" The water bursts into a sudden myriad of colors, flickering from pink to ochre in milliseconds. Slowly, the image pans out, the colors flickering to compensate for the motion as if it was some pixelated TV screen, and a petal comes into view, then a flower and the tree behind it. The water flickers to an orange colour, then jumps to reveal some massive stone of resin in a dimly lit area. Stalactites and stalagmites brush each other as water glistens from their sides.

Pacifica instantly darts toward the water in an effort to see what the image showed, eyes narrowing as she racks her mind for ideas or some form of familiarity. Mabel was watching Gideon, one hand raised and trembling, as if wanting to touch him but unsure if that would disrupt the spell. She instead crouched close to him, eyes glancing down at the mirror. A railway car runs across a track, and then a winged something flies upward in front of the cliff. A screech rings out through the cavern and Gideon shakes, hands twitching and mouth moving. "End... Eye... The Eye... They fly - fly - fly-" He suddenly gasps and wrenches his hands from the water, the images stuttering to a stop. He scrambles backward, panting and pale.

Mabel yelps as Gideon falls back, catching him and pulling him away from the mirror as fast as she could. Pacifica whirled around, eyes wide. "What happened? DID HE SEE YOU?! DID HE?!"

Gideon gasps for breath, trying to speak through his panic. "I... Heehh. He - he was... Oh god. He's gonna kill me. What am I doing? He - he s-saw me, he's gonna-"

Without warning, Pacifica suddenly reels a hand back and punches the kid dead in the face with so much force his head snaps to the side. He goes limp in Mabel's arms, and she stares down at him for a moment, shocked. "...WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" She looks up at Pacifica, mouth agape.

She shakes her hand. "Do you want him to become possessed? Gideon used Bill's essence for that spell, which means Bill could enter his mind. Knocking him out was the only way to keep Bill from possessing him."

She frowns, sighing before gently setting Gideon's body on the ground. She bends over to pick up the mirror, the surface shockingly hot, but not burning. The axolotls all clamor around her, climbing up her legs, squeaking all the while, looking terrified. She takes a moment to carry them onto her shoulders, before turning to Pacifica. "...Did you recognize anything in the water?"

"Well..." She crosses her arms, fingers trilling. "The first bit was a flower in the forest. Could be anywhere. The next was some cave. There's a lot around Gravity Falls, but only a few have railcars. Probably one of the abandoned mines. And the stalactites being so big.... Probably one of the older ones, or maybe one that was closed off a while ago. We could check the town records to find the right one, but...." She glances at Gideon. "He can't leave here. Not after pissing off Bill. And that also means we probably don't have a lot of time before the townspeople start looking for him. They'll be on high alert."

"...Dammit.." She glances over at Gideon, her expression torn. "..What do we do now?"

"I vote tie him to a rock and look for the mines ourselves."

She frowns, wildly waving a hand in Gideon's direction. "And what? We just leave him here? What if we can't get back in? What if someone finds him? Don't you remember that giant roaring during the spell? Something is down in those mines, and whatever it is, I don't think it's something we can take on by ourselves!"

"And if Bill finds him?" Pacifica crosses her arms. "He's gonna want him now. Probably to kill him, or possess his body to get to us."

She goes silent for a moment, biting her lip. "...Isn't there anything we can do? Like, is there some stone or bracelet or anything that can...repel Bill from his mind?"

She shrugs. "He'd be the one to know that kind of stuff."

Mabel grits her teeth, starting to pace back and forth rapidly, looking increasingly stressed out. "Great, so now the town will be on high-alert, everyone will be suspecting everyone, Gideon will be trapped in a watery ditch of a cave, meanwhile we'll be ripped to shreds by a god damn mine monster! Perfect! ABSOLUTELY FUCKING PERFECT!"

"Well, we do have a few positives on our side..."

"LIKE WHAT?!?! WE HAVE NOTHING!! NO MAGIC, NO HIDEOUTS, NO WAY TO DEFEND OURSELVES, AND THE AGENTS ARE PROBABLY DEAD ALREADY!! WHAT COULD WE POSSIBLY HAVE THAT THEY DON'T?!"

"You, for one," she said calmly. "Your Dipper's brother. They can't touch you, no matter how much they might want to. And I'm rich and have a lot of sway around here. The townspeople aren't all too dangerous for us."

That got her to pause, one foot still raised in the air, eyes wide with shock. "..Holy shit, you're right...Dipper has no idea what I'm doing..."

"And as long as HE has no clue, and Ford, you'll be fine."

Mabel slowly straightens up, a hand coming up to her chin as she ponders, humming. "...I think there may be a way we can get our hands on a weapon..."

"Oh, really?" She raises a brow.

"Yeah..Back at the shack, me and Dipper found this weird room. I think Stan may have some magic stuff too."

"Stan?" Pacifica frowns for a moment, then nods. "It's as good a place to start as any."

"Right. How about we split up? You try and find the location of the mines, and I'll go and find any magic thing that Stan may have in his house."

She shifts, then crosses her arms and nods. "Fine. We'll meet back here?"

"Yeah, sounds like a plan." She nods, and after a moment, holds out a hand for a fist bump.

"Um." Pacifica hesitates, then grants her a fist bump. She grins lightly and offers a small chuckle. "Yeah. Let's kick the triangle out of here."

That got Mabel to blink, before she grins, chuckling. "Good one." She glances over toward Gideon. "What about him? Should we tie him up?"

She sighs. "Yeah, for good measure. He'll understand."

"Somehow I doubt that. Got any rope?"

"Actually, yes." She digs through her purse and pulls out a length of rope. "I thought we might need it."

"..Well, always come prepared, I guess." She takes the rope almost gingerly before walking over to Gideon, bending down to tie him up. It ends up being a disturbingly efficient hog-tie, and Mabel grins, stepping back to look it over. "Ok, we should be good."

"Let's hurry then." She turns to the cliff face, then glares at her nails. "Guh. My dad is gonna kill me."

"Hopefully not literally, right?"

"Heh. With luck." She starts climbing. "He's... He's an asshole."

"How so? I've only seen him, like, once." She starts climbing after her.

She pulls herself up a level and frowned at the rock in front of her. "He's pretty controlling. I doubt you'd understand."

"Try me." She flashes a grin. "You already know how much I hate my parents."

"He rings a bell whenever I do anything he doesn't like," she says. "Doesn't let me wear things I want to wear if it doesn't please him. Uses me for business deals."

Mabel frowns as she manages to push herself up onto the ledge, turning around to stand. "Really? Jeez...Didn't Gideon say something about Bill hating him?"

She shrugs, brushing herself off. "I could care less, honestly."

"Right..." She sighs as they walk back up the tunnel and to the boulder, a few quick knocks causing it to light up and slowly move away.

Pacifica places a pair of sunglasses on her nose. "When should we meet up?"

"..I say we meet back here in 3 hours. Just to be sure."

"That should be doable for me." She shifts. "Best of luck."

"You too." There was a pause before Mabel gives her a pat on the shoulder before turning and jogging away.

Pacifica watches her for a moment, then sighs to herself and walks away.

\--

Mabel sighs to herself as the clearing came into view, adjusting her backpack in order to make sure she didn't appear too disgruntled or messy. She pauses as she hears a few squeaking sounds, then turns to see the axolotls following her like a trail of baby ducks. She grins softly, shaking her head. "Sorry, guys. You can't come with me."

They pause and tilt their heads and trill in confusion. The closest one lets its tongue hang loose.

She turns toward them, crouching downwards. "You can't follow me, alright? It's not safe. I don't want you getting hurt."

They seem to pout, drooping a little and giving their best attempt at puppy eyes.

She chuckles slightly at that. "Sorry, but no. I'll be back soon, ok?"

They squeak and sit, which basically means they flatten themselves to the ground and splay their limbs.

She smiles at that before turning and walking toward the two houses, glancing around for any sign of Dipper. No one is outside, though it seems as if someone had spilled something on the porch steps of Ford's house. Two of the six candles had been extinguished, and a third is sputtering. She stares at in confusion, before slowly walking up the porch steps to Stan's house, shuddering vaguely as the tingle traveled up her spine again. She gritted her teeth slightly, trying to ignore it. 'Get away from me. Get away you fucking isosceles bastard.'

Mabel quietly opens the door and slips inside, tiptoeing down the hall and glancing through doorways for signs of Stan or Dipper. It seemed that the house was empty; the TV wasn't on, there was no one in the kitchen, and she couldn't hear any creaking of floorboards from above. She sighs softly before quickly walking up the stairs, keeping an eye out for a messily-covered up hole in the wall that was the main sign of which hallway held the rooms.

After a bit of navigating, she finds the hole. The bits of dry wall and plaster had been swept away, but the rooms' files and boxes were still strewn allover the place. If anything, it looks like more boxes had been brought in. She stills the moment she enters the first room, eyes darting to and fro in an effort to catch any traps or tricks. After a few seconds, she walks toward the nearest box and drags it off the pile, sitting down on the floor before tearing it open.

Miniature statues and old bobble heads jingle and stare at her. She grabs another. Dull and worn jewelry meet her eyes, consisting of bracelets, necklaces, even what look like hoop earrings. She shifts through them for a few moments, a tad perplexed as to why Stan would have these particular items, before simply placing them off to the side.

Box after box gets picked, and she finds herself no closer to finding anything remotely useful. She finds herself making a mess of the room, flinging random containers open and dumping them across the ground in messy, erratic manners, digging through everything she could possibly find. She was prying open the taped up lids of a particularly large box, reaching inside just as she hears a creaking sound behind her. She screams as she whirls around, yanking the box open and scattering it's contents across the floor. She found herself with a loaded crossbow in her hands, and it was pointing inches away from Stan's nose.

The man stops, hands moving next to his head and eyes going wide. He glances between Mabel and the crossbow. "...I just wanted to warn you that some stuff in here is dangerous-"

"Don't bullshit me." Mabel's hands were trembling ever so slightly, eyes narrowed and teeth gritted. She felt rattled, blood going cold while her muscles quivered with hot flashes, a sheen of nervous sweat on her brow as her stomach drew into a hard knot. She was angry, confused, and terrified all at once. "Just tell me. Are you with them or are you not? Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. Ford. The town. The cult. Bill. TELL ME. TELL ME OR I SHOOT." She presses the tip of the bolt against his nose ever so slightly, trying her hardest to keep a finger from pulling the trigger.

Stan's eyes widen, and then his muscles relax. He momentarily glances to the side, then returns his gaze to Mabel. "I'm not with them. I never was."

Her eyes narrow, suspicion sparking in her gaze. "Prove it."

"Well, first, every triangular object in this house is locked in a safe in the basement, and any windows in here are behind stacked boxes." He nods toward two massive piles. "I wasn't kidding when I said this room is dangerous."

"..You missed the window. The window in our room."

"No, I tried to cover it. Apparently Ford cursed the windows to repel anything that covers them. But if you cover them with something temporary, nothing happens."

"...What about these rooms? Why do you have weapons? Why do you have stuff from Ford?"

"So Ford doesn't have them. Or because I used to be a traveling salesman. People used to buy anything."

"..How do I know you aren't lying to me?"

He exhaled, then reached to his shoulder. "I have a sigil on my shoulder. Ford burned it into me. It keeps me from leaving the town."

That got Mabel to freeze, and she slowly lowers the bow, her grip finally slacking. "..What?"

"I'm basically a prisoner here," he said. "The only reason I'm not dead is because Ford doesn't want me to. I don't know if you've noticed, but no one around here really likes me."

She suddenly remembers that weird metal pole, the one that was stained black at the end, the one with a weird metallic symbol, a symbol that translated to contain, to confine, and Mabel felt the crossbow slip from her fingers entirely. She just kept staring, bug-eyed, but not really seeing at all.

Stan quickly moves to catch the bow before it hits the ground. He sets it aside and kneels in front of her, hands on her shoulders. "Kid, the best place for you to be right now is out of this town. If you try going against the cult, they will kill you. Maybe you can get Dipper out of here too, before everything gets out of hand."

Her hands suddenly reach up to wipe at her eyes as tears spill from them, trying to force down the horror and anger that threatened to well up. "..Dipper's already gone. He's with them now..."

"What? He...?" Stan stares for a moment, mouth agape, and then gently pulls her in for a hug. "We'll figure this out."

She merely sighs, a quiet, rattling sound that made it seem like her bones were shaking in their frame. "..I need help. There's this item we need to get, but it's down in the mines, and...there's something down there. Something big, and loud, and it'll probably try to eat us."

He's silent, then nods. "You've seen the Axolotl, haven't you?"

"Well, more like his messenger...She told me I need to collect these ancient weapons from a Bill-slaying god in order to stop all of this. A sword and shield."

His lips thinned. "That sounds like the Oracle."

"You've met her too?"

"Yeah, a long, uh, long time ago." He absently brushes her tears away, a distant look in his eyes. "She warned me about Bill the day before my brother tried inducting me into the cult."

"I see. What exactly happened? I mean...I knew you and Ford didn't seem to like each other, but..."

"We've never really gotten along well," he sighs. "I pretty much called him insane and tried to call the police. You can imagine what happened then."

Mabel sighs, looking down as she pulls away from Stan's grip. She rubs her eyes one last time before looking around at the room, half-heartedly. "..So, you're trapped in this place? No leaving?"

"No leaving Gravity Falls." He shrugs and a grin crosses his face. "Doesn't mean I can't help you, though."

She smiles a bit at that. "Yeah...Sorry I nearly shot you in the head there."

He laughs slightly. "I don't blame you."

"By the way, Pacifica's helping me too. So is Gideon, but, well, he's gonna be out of commission for a while." She runs a hand through her hair.

Stan stares for a moment. "Pacifica and GIDEON? I dunno about Miss Rich to Riches, but Gideon has been vying for a position next to Bill for years now. Are you sure you can trust him?"

She holds up a finger. "Correction; he WAS. See, it turns out the reason why Dipper had been running around so much is because Bill kept talking him into these weird trials to assess his skills, and he kept tricking Gideon into thinking that whoever won them all would become the second-in-command or however the fuck that works." She sighs slightly, her gaze growing a tad melancholic. "With Gideon being, well, Gideon, you can imagine how he reacted to Dipper constantly beating him in those trials. That's why Dipper kept stumbling home and getting hurt all the time. Eventually, Dipper's anger grew too much and...that's how the pig-headed shit ended up in the hospital."

She turns away to dig through her backpack, slowly. "From there, Dipper took his position as Bill's apprentice or toy or fuckbuddy, whatever, and booted Gideon from the cult entirely. If it weren't for the agents, he'd probably already be dead. Now, he didn't come looking for me or anything, I went after him. More specifically, I went after him with my trusty bat and had to talk him into it, but now we're working together." She pulls out the mirror and shows it to him. "This thing was blessed with Bill's energy, and Gideon harnessed it to use the bastard's clairvoyance to see where the shield was. But Bill managed to see him, and now he has to stay hidden, lest he gets captured and ruins everything."

Stan blinks for a moment, the rubs his forehead. "I need to sit down for this."

"Join the club." Mabel sighs, idly twirling the mirror in her hands.

He momentarily closes his eyes and shakes his head. "Let's - let's catch up on the way to the mines."

She frowns at that, tucking the mirror away. "You sure thats a good idea? Won't Bill be watching you or something?"

"Something's going on with Ford," he said. "I saw him drag some guy into his house earlier. Never seen him before." He frowns, worry crossing his face. "Bill will be focused on that for a little while."

Mabel blinks, then nods in recognition as she hoists her bag over her shoulder. "Yeah, I saw him too. It's how I was able to sneak into Ford's house and get the mirror in the first place." She then wrinkles her nose, lifting up her bandaged leg to try and poke around at the layers of gauze. "Ugh. Damn thing itches."

"Oh, Jesus! When did that happen!?"

"Hm?" She then blinks, starting to sheepishly smile. "Oh, uh...I may have jumped from my window to Ford's house to sneak in. Didn't exactly go well; my leg hit the gutter."

"Have you cleaned it?"

"Well, not exactly? I mean, it's cleaned, and judging by the way it feels, it's stitched, but...I didn't do it. I was alone in the house, I passed out, I think from shock, and when I woke up..." She gestures to her leg.

"That's...a little unsettling.."

"I know, but it's not like I can waste time on it. I need to get that shield."

He purses his lips. "You'll argue with me on this, won't you?"

"Yup. Now, do you have any weapons in there that could help us fight a magic flying beast?"

"Um... I have a weighted net, and you can keep the crossbow. I have a bat, too. And brass knuckles."

She stares for a good few seconds before sighing and shrugging. "It's better then nothing." She scoops up the crossbow, checking it to make sure if it's good for use.

Stan rifles through some boxes and pulls out the net and bat, as well as a pack of bolts. She takes them, and after a moment of thought, simply crams both the weapon and ammunition down in her bag. She glances over at Stan. "Anything else you want to grab?"

"I think I'm good. You?"

"I think I'll be fine. We better get moving before Ford is done killing whoever stole his sandwich." She heads toward the door.

"Oh, wait! I have a map in the living room." He hurries off.

"...A map of what and why?" She stands there for a moment, a bit dumbstruck.

"Old Gravity Falls!" Some crashes are heard, and then Stan pops into the hall. "Got it in an obscure auction when some old guy died or something. Has a bunch of landmarks and caves on it. Before Ford got all crazy, I was thinking of spelunking some caves around here."

"Huh...I suppose that could be useful. You wouldn't happen to have spelunking gear, right?"

He makes a small grumbling sound. "Nothing that works. Ford made sure of that."

"..Right...Guess I should watch out in case Dipper tries plunging hot metal into my skin, huh?"

"Tch. Yeah, I guess." He shifts. "Let's get going."

Mabel leans out a window, trying to catch sight of Ford's house. It stands still and tense, an aura of worry and frustration pouring from it. With it still being light out, she can't quite tell if the lights are on. "...I think we'll be ok, but we got to move fast."

"Lets go then."

"Front door or back?"

"Back."

\--

The moment Mabel had reached the forest's edge, all three of the axolotls had popped up from their hiding places, scrambling up to her and diving into her arms. She had giggled at how loud their squeaks were, petting them all as much as she could. "Guys! Shhh! You gotta be quiet!"

Stan grins at her. "I see you've made friends with the locals."

"Well, they've been helping a lot, and they seem to really like me." She shrugs slightly before continuing to walk.

Upon them getting back to the lake, they found Pacifica sitting on a rock near the waterfall, out of view of any of the trees, idly filing her nails while a piece of paper was pinned securely under a leg. She looks up as they approach, frowning at Stan. "...I'm not gonna question anything that happened while we were separated. I found the cave. That's what I care about."

"...He's going to help us. That's all you need to know." Mabel holds out her hand out. "Can I see the paper?"

Pacifica hands it to her, looking out at the mountains. A sort of worry covers her face. "It's actually not all too far from here. The trails are still usable, too, so there isn't much climbing."

"Well, guess that's a good thing. I don't exactly want any nasty falls when I got this." She points to her leg.

"Yeah." Pacifica looks her over, then pulls a medical kit out of her bag. "I... thought you might want this, in case we have time before heading out. I managed to find a fire ranger's cache off the trail. Figured it's better than nothing."

She blinks, then smiles softly. "Thanks..I think I'll save that in case we get any other injuries." She glances down at the paper she was handed.

It's a pretty detailed sketch of the route Pacifica had taken. Evidently, she had moved south until she hit a trail and followed it to an abandoned lookout. It must have been around there that she found the kit. From there, she moved east and checked three cave entrances. The last one was circled. Mabel's eyes narrowed, before turning to Stan. "Any of these paths look familiar?"

He opens his own map and holds them against each other. "Well... this could be Rocker's Trail. I think I've seen it lead to that watchtower. Which means this is... Red Hand, and these are... Butterscotch, Crumble, and Cobbler Mines."

"Ok, so what does that tell us? Ever seen or heard weird things in those tunnels?"

He frowns and shrugs. "If the papers I got with this are anything to go by, they were used way back when the town was first made, but haven't seen much used since way before I was born. No one goes near them nowadays."

She huffs slightly, arms crossed as the axolotls stick their tongues out, tilting their heads curiously at the maps. "..So, we basically have no idea which cave leads to where the shield is. And we also have no clue what exactly is down there..."

"One of them has railcar tracks heading inside them," Pacifica said. "First one I saw. The other two were in case someone found me."

"..Then that's probably our best bet." She glances at her. "Did you bring any weapons?"

"I found a flare gun in the stash," she offers.

"That'll work. I got this." She pulls out the crossbow.

"Whoa." Her eyes go wide. "Do you even know how to use that thing?"

"...Maybe? It's like, point and shoot stuff, right? I've practiced a few times with a big rock and a slingshot, trying to hit some squirrels." She gives a sheepish grin.

Pacifica stares, then sighs and shakes her head. "Whatever. Just don't shoot me."

Mabel gives a thumbs-up, before putting the bow back. "So, Pacifica, since you found the mine entrance, lead the way."

She nods and starts walking toward the forest. "I really hate the forest. It's so quiet."

"Hmm. I'm ok with it. Don't really feel anything, so...you know who must not be watching." Mabel shrugs.

"Maybe." She shrugged back and turned at a large tree.

It wasn't long before the watchtower came into view, and Mabel raises a brow at it's disheveled state. "Woah.."

"There hasn't been a forest fire in my entire time here," Stan says, seeing the look on her face. "Bet Bill made sure of that. Wouldn't be good to have state troopers around here while he's doing his thing."

"Someone still comes around." Pacifica crossed her arms. "The cache had a new lock on it. Well, sorta new."

"How'd you open it if there was a lock on it?"

She sighs loudly and pulls a bobby pin from her hair. "I came prepared."

Both of them stare at her for a moment, before Mabel holds up a finger. "...Why the fuck do you know how to pick a lock?"

"Why do you know how to use a bat?" she snaps.

"To beat in the heads of the bastards that tried to shove Dipper into the dumpster on the same day the trash compactor was making it's rounds."

Her eyes widen and she looks away and to the ground. "Sorry, I..." She sighs. "My parents used to lock almost every door in the house, including my room and my windows. They didn't like me walking around the house while they were gone."

At this, Mabel sighs as well, giving her a soft pat on the shoulder. "You don't need to be sorry. We're both pretty messed up, anyway."

She glances at her, then ahead. "Yeah. It's up this way."

Mabel blinks, but then nods and continues walking. They step into a slightly overgrown path. Pacifica walks ahead, grumbling as branches grab at her hair. A few squirrels and chipmunks run past their feet, and birds swoop overhead, but other then that, the place seems to be almost normal. It wasn't long before the ground became unstable, and Mabel couldn't help but frown. She grinds at the leaves with her shoe, blinking at the sight of decaying wood being exposed.

"Must be some tracks," Stan said. "The cave's just up ahead."

Pacifica waves at them to hurry up, frown intense. They make a wide turn and duck between a pair of trees. A small clearing with mostly grass, vines, and ground flowers leads to an open cave with an old torch laying in a sconce. The edges of a railcar peer out from the darkness. Mabel stares, mouth agape for a few moments before she walks toward the torch, looking it over with narrowed eyes. "..Anyone got a match?"

Stan pulls out a lighter. "Even better."

She grins before slowly prying the torch from the sconce and holding it out toward him.

Pacifica frowns. "Are you sure that's-"

Stan flicks the lighter and the torch blazes to life. He swings the cap shut and grins. "Perfectly safe."

Mabel laughs slightly at that, carefully swinging the torch around from side to side, getting a feel for it. The axolotls all stick their tongues out, as if entranced. "Wow. This would be really nifty for hitting someone."

Pacifica buries her face in her hands. "I'm about to walk into a cave with two pyromaniacs. Great."

"Hey, as long as no one holds a match up to your hair, I'm sure it'll be fine." Mabel grins to herself, trying to resist snickering.

She immediately reaches for her hair, taking a step back. "Ugh. You are the worst."

"I think we both know that's not true." She whirls around and starts marching, literally marching, into the caves. "ONWARDS!" The three axolotls all chirp excitedly, two of them on her shoulders, one in her hair.

Stan chuckles lightly, gently nudging Pacifica forward. "Don't worry. I'll make sure she doesn't go too crazy." He almost runs into the cave after Mabel.

Still clutching her hair, she couldn't help but sigh heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose. "...Why is this family so batshit crazy?" Shaking her head, she hurries to catch up to them. The minecart was held in place by creeping vines and roots. A blanket of grass and flowers fills the inside of the cart.

Mabel swings the torch from left to right, trying to catch sight of anything on the walls, eyes narrowed as she tries to see past the darkness. Everything was eerie, desolate, and sent a faint shiver up her spine.

"Maybe we should follow the tracks," Pacifica whispered. She grimaced at the occasional puddle of water or mud.

"Should we? What if we run into the monster there?"

"Well, it has wings, right? So it'll want to be in a more open space, right?"

There was a pause before Mabel starts to walk with the tracks, the axolotls all starting to look around, frills shaking.

Stan eyes the cavern walls apprehensively, as if expecting them to sprout arms. "Remind me what we're looking for again?"

"A shield. It's somewhere down here and we have to get it, and...rebuild it, i think. That's pretty much everything I know."

"I suppose a shield would stand out in a place like this."

"Yeah. I dunno if it's being guarded by this monster or if its just a hell of a coincidence, but I think we'll probably have to kill it in order to get it."

"Sounds like fun." Pacifica steps around another puddle. "Guh. Why can't this be easy?"

"It's never easy for anyone." Mabel shrugs, as if that was common knowledge. The lizards all nod, as if taking in sage knowledge.

She glances at Mabel, then ahead again. "Yeah. Right."

Mabel's eyes slowly narrowed as the tunnel suddenly seems to be widening, and she blinks upon seeing something golden up ahead. It was large, malformed, but looked as if there was something else inside the center. "..Guys, I think I found something.."

"Yeah..." Stan grips his bat tighter. "Think it'll be there?"

"Maybe..Not sure.." She loads the crossbow, holding it up as she slowly walks into the open cavern.

Shafts of light filter from above, the ceiling almost unseeable as a result of how high it reached. They exited onto a small ledge overlooking a valley of stalagmites and rocks pot-marked with crystals. Directly in front of them was a massive, twenty foot tall mass of golden amber. Within the amber, a distorted figure roaring at the ground, tail poised high above its left flank. Mabel's bow slowly lowered, and she found herself staring, mouth agape, while the axolotls shrink back, cowering almost. "..Is..Is that.."

"...A t-rex?" Pacifica stands petrified, rooted to the spot as if she couldn't move without properly processing what was in front of her.

"...Yup. A T-Rex trapped in amber." She carefully pokes at the golden prison, only to blink. "Wait. Wait, no. That's tree sap." She pulls away, several strands sticking to her fingers.

"What?" Pacifica takes her hand and inspects the residue. "That's not possible. That would mean this stuff-"  
"Was recent," Stan finished. He glances around the massive chamber. "Pretty sure someone comes up here and puts some more on them every year, in case one of them gets free."  
  
"..I..How is that even possible? There's no way these things could still be ALIVE in there!" Mabel tries to shake off the sap, then huffs. "Anybody got wet wipes?"

"Here." Pacifica unwraps a package and hands her one.

Stan crosses his arms. "I dunno if these things ARE alive. Though I wouldn't bet much on it being impossible."

Mabel accepts the wipe, thoroughly scrubbing at her skin to clean off the sap. She then proceeds to walk further into the room, sweeping the area to see what else was here. Further ahead of the t-rex is several more globules of sap. Each seem to have a different dinosaur in them. "Wow...These are from every stage...Triassic..Jurassic...Cretaceous..." She walks toward some to peer inside. "..Even some sea dinosaurs made it in here."

"How do you know that?" Pacifica follows her, giving the dinosaurs a wide berth. Stan rests his bat on his shoulder and trills his fingers against the wood.

"Dipper used to like dinosaurs when he was little. I guess watching all those documentaries kind of stuck." She holds the torch up to the sap to expose the petrified animals inside, only to pause as she sees a flicker of movement.

She turns sharply, eyes going wide as she screams, accidentally letting loose a bolt from her bow, causing the three axolotls to let out a similar screech, frills shaking and splayed out in alarm. One of the chambers was incomplete, exposing the arms of a frozen Velociraptor, which were starting to vaguely twitch, and shiver. The bolt sinks into the golden cage with a slight 'thunk' sound. Stan quickly pulls her away, the amber cracking in a growing spider web. The velociraptor twitches and the cracks grow up the chamber.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.." Mabel was trembling slightly, whispering under her breath, struggling to reload the bow.

The raptor yanks its arm and a chunk of amber falls away. It yanks its head to the side and roars. Mabel pales as the dried sap crumbles like tissue paper under it's claws. It slumps to the ground, croaking and screeching as it wriggles, trying to regain it's footing. When it does, it sits up, chattering softly, head swiveled toward them.

Pacifica stands completely still, hands clenched in tight fists. "What... What do we do?"

"..I don't know...If we kill it, it may cause a ruckus...The other dino..monster...thing will probably find us then." Mabel is practically frozen, staring. The three axolotls stare for a moment, before they straighten, gazes almost determined, before their eyes briefly shine white.

The raptor seems to wobble for a moment, precariously, before regaining it's balance, tilting its head again, sniffing the air. It makes a small noise and approaches the group. Mabel goes stiff, frantically looking it over. There was no bunching of the legs or flexing of the claws, or even a wagging of the tail. There was no sign of aggression, no showing of the teeth, nothing at all. "..I..What is it doing?"

It jumps toward Pacifica and noses at her satchel. She squeaks, but stays still, then exhales. "I... might have brought a sandwich. Should I...?"

Both Stan and Mabel nod wordlessly, eyes wide.

She slowly opens her satchel, pulling a plastic bag out. The raptor watches her, tilting its head this way and that. "Okay... You want some food?" She opens the bag and the raptor jumps for it.

Stan raises up the bat as it's teeth come narrowly close to biting a finger, but Mabel puts a hand on his arm. It tears open the packaging, eating up the ham sandwich in just a few quick bites. It blinks for a moment before barking happily, giving Pacifica's cheek a gentle nuzzle with it's snout.

"Ah... H-Hi there...." She shakily raises a hand to pat its side.

It seems to almost purr and Mabel blinks, jaw dropping. "..I think you got a pet raptor.."

"What?" It bumps her hand and she rubs its snout.

"You do! It likes you!" Mabel's grin grows wide, almost ecstatic. "Aww, it's like a big puppy dog!"

The raptor suddenly straightens and gives off a shrill screech, then runs around Pacifica and screeches again. "Yeah... A big puppy dog."

There was another shriek in the distance, much louder, much more fearsome, and Mabel freezes. "..I think we found our monster."

"We need to move." Stan quickly surveys the area. "There must be more tunnels somewhere around here."

Mabel proceeds to dart around the room, waving the torch to and fro, before finding an open tunnel just as footsteps began to shake the ground. "Over here! Come on!"

Pacifica and Stan hurry over, the raptor following almost silently. They reach the tunnel just as a scream is heard, much more loud then before, and just as piercing. A shadow falls across the wall, muddled, but the figure being quite recognizable.

"Holy cr-" Stan quickly slaps a hand over Pacifica's mouth, and she jumps but doesn't fight with him. The shadow crawls forward, dust falling from the roof with every step.

The raptor growls softly, it's lips curling back in a sneer, and Mabel holds up her bow, shaking slightly, teeth clenched. The axolotls all cower, visibly shaking, frills drawn back in fright. A clawed hand, its longest finger easily the size of a grown man, lands in front of the tunnel entrance. The fingers flex, a leathery stretch of skin extending from the base of the hand to some unknown extremity. A beak-like something dips into view, narrowly grazing the soil, and a crackling rumble fills the air.

The air was crackling with tension, choking, heavy, weighing down on Mabel's whole body, feeling frozen to the point where she couldn't even feel if she was breathing. Her finger trembled on the trigger, muscles quivering like a taut bowstring.

The claws tense, and then the creature grumbles and prowls forward.

Mabel's eyes close as the tenseness in her body drains away, relief flooding her veins. She lifts a hand to wipe her brow. "Whew..."

She then freezes as a screeching sound comes from her bag, the walkie-talkie springing to life. "Kkchzz!... Come... Mabe... Where are... Need to... Kkzz... ffz... Find..."

Mabel rips open her bag to pull out the talkie, randomly flicking buttons and flipping dials in hopes of turning it off. She flinches as soon as the screech pierces the air. "RUN!! RUUN!!"

They bolt further into the tunnel, initially tripping as the roar sends rocks tumbling onto them. The raptor screeches in retaliation, then whimpers and follows them, easily catching up and outpacing them.  
They heard the loud stomping, hard enough to shake the ground, the furious screams, and when Mabel looks back, she sees the flash of teeth that were serrated and tinged red with blood stains, the glowing yellow eyes that burned with malice, hunger, hatred. It made her heart freeze, her mind go blank, eyes going wide as a single thought sparked through her head.

She was going to die.

"This way!" Pacifica turns sharply, plunging into a dark side-tunnel.

Mabel gets yanked to the side by Stan just as those huge teeth snap closed, inches from her hair, and the trio run down the tunnel in a frantic frenzy, the pterodactyl screeching in surprise, as well as anger. It tries to fit it's body through, but it seems to be too narrow, and it snorts, pulling back with a growl, eyes flicking over the cavern walls before turning, slithering off.

Pacifica, panting, stutters to a stop against the right wall. "Oh my god. We nearly died."

Mabel quivers slightly in Stan's grasp, hugging onto his arm without even realizing it. "..A-Apparently that happens a lot.."

Pacifica passes a hand through her hair, eyes still the size of dishes. But a sort of determination is dripping back into her stature. She stands a little taller with each breath and clenches her fists. "That thing has the shield. It has to."

"..You sure about that?" Stan turns to face her, panting, the hand around the baseball bat shaking.

"It looked like the thing Gideon showed us on the lake." She nodded, almost to herself. "Think it has a nest?"

Mabel sighs after a few moments, starting to walk forward. "I'm not sure, kind of seems like a long shot. I think we should keep moving, in case that thing comes back."

"Good idea, kiddo." Stan ruffles her hair and walks alongside her.

Pacifica huffs a little bit, but follows. "It might be trying to find us still."

"That's precisely why we need to keep moving. If it finds another route, we're dead meat." Mabel glances at the crossbow, then frowns. "..How do you reload this thing?"

"Oh, uh, here." Stan takes the crossbow and presses its front to the ground. "You put your foot here and then you pull the string back until-" A light click was heard and the string remained when he removed his hands. "There. Then you load the bolt."

"...Geez, that's time consuming." She reloads the bow anyway.

"Better than having nothing." He continues walking, holding tight to his bat.

Eventually, light starts to be seen at the end of the tunnel, and Mabel lifts a hand to shield her eyes from the glare. "Wow..Should we be concerned about light in a mining facility?"

"Could be a natural opening," Pacifica offered, but she didn't sound like she thought that was a good thing. Mabel doesn't respond, and instead raises her crossbow.

As they inch toward the mouth of the tunnel, another field studded with stalactites and stalagmites confronts them. The ceiling is unseen and man-made paths lead around the edges of the expanse. They spiral around and around, leading to holes that appear to be mere pinpricks from this distance. Above, just barely on the edge of sight, lays a walkway crossing the diameter of the room.

Mabel's jaw drops, head swiveling as she stares up at the massive opening. "Woah...How did they even build this?"

"Must've taken ages," Pacifica whispers. "Should we go straight up? I feel like we might get lost if we go through the tunnels."

"..Im not sure. Those pathways don't look very stable." She gestures to the rusted metal railways and crumbling sections of rock.

"We can mark where we go," Stan says. He pulls out a small box of chalk. "I'm not trusting those supports either. This place is ancient."

"Good idea." Mabel nods, grabbing the red chalk and marking a nearby rock with a red X.

"Always bring chalk to a cave," he declares wisely. He looks around at the entrances nearest them. "These really could go anywhere."

"That's why I don't want to go in one," Pacifica mutters.

The raptor, who had been silently looking over the area, sniffs at the ground, growling to itself. Mabel looks over at it, blinking. "What's it doing?"

Pacifica purses her lips. "Kinda looks like it's picking up a scent."

"Of what? The pterodactyl?"

"Nothing much else there could be."

Mabel hums for a moment, eyes narrowing as a lightbulb goes off in her head. She glances at one of the axolotls, the one balancing on her shoulder, before slowly taking it in her hands. She inches toward the raptor, wary, but not as scared as she was. She holds the lizard out toward it, just enough so it wasn't in full danger of getting eaten. "..Smell."

"Mabel-"

"Shh!"

The raptor turns, its slit pupils contracting and expanding. Its nostrils flare once, twice, and then it returns to sniffing the ground about its feet.

She puts the axolotl back on her shoulder, which was almost glaring at her, sticking its tongue out repeatedly. Mabel gives it a few quick pets. "I know, I know. I won't do that again, I promise."

"What just happened?" Stan is staring at the raptor with a perplexed expression, an eyebrow raised.

"Oh," Pacifica mutters. "He isn't smelling the axolotls, so it has to be something else."

The raptor suddenly lets out a bark, walking toward the edge of a pathway, but not crossing it. It keeps snarling and barking, pacing back and forth. Mabel smirks slightly. "Knew it."

"I'm confused." Stan rubs the back of his head.

"Well, you guys probably didn't see it, but back there, these little guys prevented that thing from attacking us." She raises a hand to pet at the lizard sitting in her hair, which chirps happily. "It's now working for us. So, I figured that it might be able to detect the shield. You know, cause axolotls are magic, and they probably smell like magic? So the shield might smell like magic too?"

Pacifica frowns. "I suppose that could work.... Any leads then?"

"I guess the shield must be somewhere in that general direction." She points to the path where the raptor is pacing.

"Alright. Let's follow the raptor then." Stan hefts his bat onto his shoulder. "Should be easy."

Pacifica blinks, looking over at him in confusion. "Didn't both of you just say it was too dangerous to walk across the rails?"

"That was before we found out where to go."

"..Fine then." She gestures toward the pathway. "Ladies first."

Stan straightens, puffing his chest slightly. "Don't mind if I do." He marches forward.

Mabel can't help but laugh slightly, starting to follow. The wooden part of the railing creaks softly as they start walking, but it seems to be much more stable then it looks. Even the raptor wasn't disrupting the weight as it began carefully walking over the path.

"So when we find this shield," Stan says, "what do we do with it?"

"Well, the Oracle said that I had to restore it somehow. She really didn't give me any clues aside from that, though."

"Restore it, eh? Maybe your little friends can help with that."

"..Hmm. Maybe." She shrugs slightly.

Pacifica edges around a small hole in the metal grating. "Do you know what it looks like? The shield?"

"I mean, it's a shield. I'm sure we'll see it when we find it."

"Right." She doesn't sound convinced.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I'm just worried." She waves a hand. "These cave systems must be massive, and if we don't find the shield soon...."

Mabel actually stops dead, eyes going wide. "...I did not think of that."

Pacifica frowns, crossing her arms and looking aside. "We should be fine, if our raptor friend can track it down like you think."

Everything suddenly went quiet as a small tremor caused the pathway to tremble. Mabel held out her hands for balance, blinking. "...What was that?"

"Bet it's that dinosaur again." Stan grit his teeth. "Must be able to smell us too."

"..But where is it coming from?" Mabel stares, before suddenly looking down. All she sees is a flash of bloodied teeth before her vision goes white, a loud ringing exploding in her ears as she's thrown up in the air, the pathway instantly getting bashed inwards. Leather wings obscure her vision and then she's falling and something catches her by her sweater. The collar chokes her momentarily and she's moving upward, the ground growing more and more distant.

She can hear screaming, fading away faster and faster, and all she can see is the rails plummeting into the abyss. She's screaming herself and doesn't even realize. The air becomes less stifling and her head pulses at the upside down view of Gravity Falls' valley. Then her eyes loll back into her head and the world goes black.

\--

Well, this was certainly going much more worse then what was expected. Honestly, he was starting to see why he was sent to look after these people; they kept getting hurt or in perilous danger. He sighs softly even as he leaps into the air, catching the blonde in his arms, the momentum causing him to momentarily drop a few feet, wings beating steadily in order to keep him afloat. "Oof!"

Gods, why are people so heavy!? He heaves them up a little more, hovering toward the wrecked pathway. Metal warps in all directions, the pterodactyl's beak easily being enough to tear it to shreds. His pupil darts all over the wreckage as he flies, blinking slightly upon seeing that two of those little lizards somehow survived, clinging onto the bars of the rails, shaking, looking incredibly frightened.

He gently sets the girl on a stable part of the path and hovers toward them, holding out both hands to them. "Hey, little guys. Let's get you down from here."

They hesitate for a moment, but climb on, chirping frantically. He sighs and gently sets them down near Pacifica. "I know, I know. Don't worry, she'll be fine. Trust me."

\--

Pacifica startles herself awake with a gasp. Her hand presses against her head, grating and pounding fills her body as she starts to move. "Guh. God, what...?" Metal curls up toward the ceiling, the rails hanging sideways. "Holy shit. Mabel!? Stan!?"

No answer. They weren't even visible. They were gone.

She curses again, scrambling to her feet. She couldn't go back - the whole path was in shreds! - but how would she find them if she went forward? How would she even find the outside?

There was a distant sound of a roar, coming from the tunnel behind her. It definitely wasn't the pterodactyl. She hesitates, then clenches her fists and strides forward. As far as she is concerned, this is the only lead on anywhere she can go. The axolotls, blinking as they look up at her retreating form, quickly follow, squeaking all the way.

\--

Everything was blurry, hazy, hot. She could feel her head throbbing horribly as soon as consciousness began to flicker back, dim, yet potent, like someone was cracking a hammer over her skull on repeat. She slowly attempts to open her eyes, coughing slightly. "Uuugh..."

Her surroundings are silent for a moment, and then something buzzes, traveling up and down the register. Slowly, the sounds clarify from buzzing into mumbling into whispering. "Kid? Kid, can you hear me?"

"..Stan?" She lifts her head, vision mildly unfocused. For some reason, breathing kind of hurt, and she could feel that her forehead was wet, sticky even. Her leg was throbbing dimly, shaking, feeling just as wet.

"Hey, hey, stay still. Be quiet." Stan sits, clothing ripped and hair mussed, a few feet away from her. "There's a few baby pterodactyls sleeping over there."

She nearly jolts to her feet, but a harsh wave of pain goes through her body, she clamps a hand to her mouth to stifle a scream, her left side screaming in agony. She trembles, panting hard through her nose, eyes watering.

"Breathe. In, out... In... Out...." Stan holds a hand toward her, slowly getting his feet under him and tiptoeing toward her. The straw covering the ground crunched with every step.

She struggles, but manages to concentrate, her breathing slowly becoming more and more stable. She finally opens her eyes, teary, holding out a hand towards Stan.

He squeezes her hand, finally making it to her and gently helping her sit up. Three masses huddle together on the opposite side of the nest. She stares at the sleeping babies, bug-eyed, shaking silently as she hugs onto Stan as best she can.

"We'll be okay. As soon as that thing comes back, I'll start a fight and we'll get out of here. Do you think you can stand at all?"

"..I..I don't know." She shakes, legs trembling as she tries to force herself to stand, managing to at least get halfway up before she sinks down again.

"Alright, alright. That'll be fine. Just try and rest for now. There's no telling how long it'll be until that thing comes back."

"..Wh..What even happened? I can't..remember much."

"The, uh, the pteradactyl? Pteradactyl found us and slammed itself into the walkway we were on. Snatched us out of the air."

"..Pacifica. She..She could be.."

Stan's expression crumples, then hardens. "We'll find her. Once we get out of this nest."

"..Are you ok? What if you can't walk either?"

"I'm just a little bruised," he promises. "Don't worry about me."

She doesn't look too convinced, but sighs softly and nods. "Ok..." She starts to look around, wondering where exactly the nest was and what was in it. Sunlight filters down to her face between conifers and in a gap between the straw and twigs, way down below, she can make out a familiar path; the entrance to the mines. It was almost funny to think they had been walking it just a few hours earlier.

Mabel couldn't help but blink, seeing a flash of silver out of the corner of her eye. It seems to be coming from underneath one of the babies, just a speck of metal sticking out from under a wing. She bites her lip, feeling both relief and dread. "Well...I found the shield."

"What? Where?" Stan follows her line of sight. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"I wish I was. Any ideas?"

"I can't take on all three of them, and definitely not if the pteradactyl comes back." He grimaces as if he just thought something unpleasant. "Do you...still have your radio?"

"Well, it was in my backpack..Do you have that?"

"Yeah." He gestures over his shoulder. It lays in the middle of the nest, ripped in places.

"Oh thank God..." She slowly reaches for it, ignoring the pain in her side to grab it and drag it closer. She winces, seeing beads of blood soaked into the fabric, before opening it up. She pulls out her walkie-talkie, dented but still seeming to be usable. "What's the plan?"

"Well..." He sighs and rubs his forehead. "The only person we can talk to is your brother."

She stares for a moment, then shakes her head. "We can't do that. I don't know if he knows about the Axolotl or anything, but there's a high chance he'll find it suspicious that both you and me and Pacifica just happened to be down in an abandoned mine shaft. That, and there's also the high chance Ford will come along if we tell him I'm in danger."

"Is there anyone else in town who might have a radio?"

"..Well, maybe the agents? I'm not sure where they could be, though. I haven't seen them at all lately."

His eyes widen. "Why didn't I think of that? Let me see the radio."

"You seriously think you can get ahold of them?" She hands it to him regardless.

"Unless they've changed their frequencies, yes." He twists the nobs and dials before bring it to his mouth. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

There was static, dull and deafening, before there was a crackle, and a voice came through, southern, and quite familiar. "Stanley? Is that you?"

For a moment, the man just blinked. Then, as if suddenly aware that the other voice couldn't see the confusion on his face, he barks, "McGucket? What areyou doing with a government walkie-talkie?"

"Uh..Well, um, you ain't gonna believe this. But I found them agents nearly dead inside an abandoned UFO?"

Stan frowns. "A UFO? Are you kidding me?"

"Yeah..Somehow, the agent fellas got trapped down there. They aren't doing so hot. Dunno if it was something Ford and his lackeys set up, but they were down there for at least 2 days, maybe more."

"Shit." He pinched his nose. "Okay, look, there's a - we're in a tight spot right now. We're in some giant nest near the mines. It's - believe me on this- it's a pteradactyl nest. The mines had a bunch of these dinos all covered in sap and stuff."

"..Heh. No need to try and convince me. I've seen a lot of shit in this town. You want me to come and get you, eh?"

"Yeah, that would be nice. Mabel's with me too." He looks her over. "She's hurt."

"I'll head out as soon as I can. You said you were in the nest, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Just needed to get a sense of where you were. I'll be over as soon as I can."

"Sooner would be better."

"Duly noted." The voice fades and turns to static.

Mabel sighs softly. "..Now what?"

"Now we wait." Stan sits down next to her with a sigh.

"..And the shield?"

"We'll wait for that too."

"..This sounds like a really shitty plan. We just...do nothing and wait? The shield...is literally right there. I can reach out and fucking touch it."

"Language," he says, frowning. Then he sighs. "And, sure, you can go ahead and reach for it, and then have your hand bitten off. Definitely won't need that."

"..Shut up..Stop using logic against me.." She sniffles, raising a hand to wipe away a tear, visibly trying her best to not cry and failing. "..I got Pacifica killed...I got Gideon in more danger then ever..."

"Hey, hey. We don't know if Pacifica's dead." He squeezes her hand. "We'll get out of here and find her. Don't worry."

"..Don't bullshit me. There's no way she could've survived that fall."

"And your brother shouldn't have survived that encounter with that basilisk."

She stills at that, but soon sighs. "...I guess."

"Lots of weird things happen around here, kid. It's part of why the whole town thinks Bill's a god."

"..Yeah..I noticed...It's why I want to stop this shit before I lose everything. Before I..have to do something drastic."

Stan opens his mouth, then shuts it as he fully takes in the look on Mabel's face. There was a sort of hardness to it that should have only come with age. "I... We'll stop 'em, kid," he manages lamely, squeezing her hand.

"...Yeah.." She doesn't look like she's buying the weak bit of encouragement.

There's a distant shout that sounds vaguely like names, and then another shout, clearer, almost forming the names in full this time, and then another. "Mabel!? Stan!?"

Mabel stares, then struggles to peek over the edge of the nest, legs trembling, chest burning with pain. "..P..Pacifica?"

"Careful, kid." Stan steadies her as she sways, then manages to wedge his fingers between the nest's branches to see down below. "Damn. She's on her little raptor friend. Pacifica! Up here!"

"Do you think she can reach us? How high up are we?"

"I dunno. We're a little close to cliff. Must be..." He looks down again. "One hundred feet. Give or take."

"Shit..." She goes quiet for a moment, rummaging through her backpack in hopes of finding rope or anything. She finds a stash of three sweaters, but nothing else seems to be of use. One of them seems to be coming undone at the sleeve. She stares for a moment, then sighs before starting to unravel said sweaters. "Knitting skills, don't fail me now.." Slowly, she manages to undo the sweaters already made and form them into a makeshift yarn-rope.

Stan makes sure the yarn doesn't wrap around itself or hinder Mabel's work. "You think this can hold a person?"

"Been knitting longer then I could walk. It'll work." She ties the last knot before peeking over the edge, waving a hand wildly.

"Mabel!?" The shout appears to come from the way she's facing, but she can't be entirely certain.

She bites her lip before tossing one end over the side, watching as it falls downwards. The rope, surprisingly enough, makes it all the way to the ground with a comfortable amount of extra distance. Pacifica suddenly appears from the cave entrance below, seemingly on top of... was that the raptor? Was she riding a raptor?

Mabel's jaw drops momentarily, but she finds herself smiling all the same. "Holy shit, she's amazing."

"Where'd you get this rope from?" she calls up. "Wait, is Stan with you?"

Mabel stills for a moment, looking over at the baby pterodactyls, before peeking back over the edge. "Yeah, he's here!"

"Hey!" Stan waves a hand.

"Good. Good." She dismounts the raptor. "Are you guys alright?"

"..Kind of? I think something's up with my ribs, and..my leg isn't doing so good." She winces slightly, looking down, the bandaged limb dripping with small trickles of blood that leaked out from under the gauze.

"She's gonna need help getting down," Stan said. "Can you get up here? Maybe your raptor too?"

Pacifica narrows her eyes before picking up the rope on the ground, weighing it with her hands for a moment. "..Hmm.." She looks upwards. "When I tug on it, you start to pull, ok?"

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm gonna tie the rope around Icarus, and you guys pull him up."

"Icarus?" Stan frowned. "Like, bird guy with the wax and sun, Icarus?"

"Yeah. It's what I'm calling him." She gives Icarus a scratch behind the earlobe, to which he squawks happily. She tied the sweater rope around his torso, making sure the knot is tight.  
She tugs on the rope. "Alright! Pull!"

Stan grips his feet on the nest and heaves the rope toward him. The raptor raises a couple feet, then a few more,and then again and again while Stan huffs out plumes of air. The muscles in his hands and wrist flex, callouses stopping the rope from sliding out of his reach. Looking at his face proved his age, but he definitely seemed to have kept up with his fitness.

Icarus squawks occasionally as he's bounced against the cliff wall a few times, but otherwise stays still. He grips his claws into the nest, slowly pulling himself up into the nest, taking great care not to crush Mabel. She takes a moment to grab her backpack and slip it on.

Stan releases the rope as the raptor settles, stretching his back and arms. "That wasn't as bad as I was expecting."

"Well, we gotta tow him back down too... And with me on his back."  
Mabel gingerly gives Icarus a few pets on the snout, to which his eyes close and he purrs. She slips one arm around the dinosaur's neck, shaking slightly as Icarus rises to his feet, her body unsteadily resting on his back. She glances over at Stan, frowning in concern. "...What about you?"

He glances back at the baby pteradactyls, which were still fast asleep. "I have an idea. But you need to be down there first, alright?"

"..Ok." She nods softly, adjusting her grip around Icarus's neck as the raptor balances on the edge of the nest.

Stan takes a hold of the rope again. "Alright. I'm ready."

The raptor looks almost nervous for a few moments before dropping off the edge. Mabel bites back a scream as they plummet, a sharp yelp of fear filling the air despite her efforts. The air is knocked out of her as their descent suddenly stops, bouncing slightly on the end of the rope.  
The momentum causes the raptor to swivel and swirl aimlessly in the air, barking almost angrily. One swing of the rope causes the raptor's side to smack into the cliff, and Mabel lets out a strangled cry; her damaged leg felt like it was ready to split wide open again. They quickly begin descending again, controlled, but hurried. Evidently, Stan could hear the ruckus.

The moment Icarus's feet touch the ground, he crouches down to allow Mabel to slide off. She's sniveling hard, clutching her bandaged leg with shaking hands as the gauze starts to slowly lose it's white texture. Two tiny white shapes dart from the floor to her, leaping onto her body with loud, worried squeaks, curling up around her shoulders and licking her cheeks in hopes of distracting her from the pain.

Pacifica glances between Mabel and Icarus and the nest. She hurriedly rifles through the backpack for any first aid. She pulls out the medicine kit she got from the fire tower, opening it up to find a half-open bottle of disinfectant, a full roll of gauze, a pair of scissors, a unused stitching needle and thread.   
"Okay. I'll talk about how weird this is later. Let's see how bad your leg is." Kneeling, she pulls out the scissors and carefully cuts open the ruined bandaging.

The inside of the gauze was completely soaked with blood, which smelled repulsive, some sections looking really crusted over, while other bits were fresh. Most of the previous stitching appeared to have been mangled, the threads broken, leaving the wound practically wide open, random chunks of flesh and skin looking ready to fall off, flopping around as the muscles shook. Bits of bone could even be seen through the muscle and tissue, looking almost fragmented or cracked. The entirety of her calf was a swollen bruise, and walking definitely seemed to be out of the question.

Pacifica quickly looked away, holding a hand to her mouth. She took a deep breath, trying to chase away the urge to puke, and reexamined the wound. "I... I don't even know if I should try and sew it up. Can you... Can you move your foot?"

Mabel's eyes open, overflowing with tears, and she seems to make an attempt. But she winces heavily a few seconds later, and shakes her head, while the axolotls whimper. "N..N...No.."

"Your leg might be broken. I..." She glances at her kit, then looks up at the nest. "Stan! Her leg is broken!"

"It is? Shit..." Stan glances back at the babies, biting his lip hard. "..G-Go and get out of here, ok? Try and find McGucket!"

"What about-"

"Just go!"

Pacifica shifts, then turns to Mabel. "Think you can handle another ride on Icarus?"

Mabel slowly nods, adjusting her grip. "..We'll...come back for Stan, right?"

"Of course." She looks over her leg again, helping Mabel get a better grip on the raptor as she hoists herself onto Icarus's back, positioning herself behind her. "Know anywhere to go?"

"...The Dump. It's the..only place where Bill can't see us.."

Pacifica nods at that, lifting a hand toward Icarus's snout, pointing his head forward, toward the chamber exit point. "Let's go, buddy..."

Just then, a tremble shook the ground, and Mabel feels her heart stop dead in her chest. A terrifying screech fills the air as the form of the pterodactyl blots out the light filtering in from above, it's cruel, glowing eyes flickering around as it flies toward the nest. A chorus of shrill shrieks echo from the above perch, and then the mass of sticks and twigs shake and shudder as if with the stampeding of elephants. The pterodactyl swirls overhead, screeching again, and lands heavily onto the edge of the nest, back facing the two down below. The wood protests. Dust and miscellaneous twigs flutter to the ground. Pacifica watches with an open mouth, and then quickly cuts at the yarn still surrounding Icarus with her scissors. She leans around Mabel, gripping the loose strands on either side of the raptor and pulling to the right, and instinctively prods her heels into Icarus' flanks. "Yah! We need to move!"

The raptor lets out a loud screech, rearing up to it's full height, taking off running as fast as it can, dust and dirt kicking up from the ground as it sprints. Mabel whimpers, looking back up at the nest, eyes wide with fear, watching as she began hearing Stan's screaming.

The beast leaned forward, winged arms gripping the farther edges of the nest, beak opening to-

 _Snap_!

Its jaw pauses, as if hesitating, and a curious look crosses its eyes. Then the top half of the tree tilted dangerously toward the cliff face. The pteradactyl squawked, sliding back and hitting the rocks. Three small blobs fling into the air, futilely batting their wings to fly. Another screech rings the air as boulders spring loose from the rock wall and hinder the dinosaur's attempts at flight. A thunderous crash filled the air as the pterodactyl hits the ground with a shock wave of dust, conifer branches and bits of rock. Icarus screeches again, swerving around to run toward the tiny grey blobs still in the air, barking and screeching at the top of its lungs.

"No! Icarus, we'll come back later! We can't - Mabel can't-" The blobs dip toward the trees, quickly disappearing from sight, and Icarus screeches again.

Mabel covers one of Pacifica's hands with her own, shaking her head. She was starting to look quite pale, skin coated with sweat, breathing shaky. "..N..Need to help Stan..H-He'll die."

"Mabel, you're bleeding out right now." She glances down at her leg, subconsciously tightening her elbows around Mabel's middle, and steers Icarus toward The Dump. "He - he wants us to get out of here."

The raptor growls, then swerves back onto the road, sprinting toward the general direction of the Dump. Mabel looks away as distant screeching fills the air, hoarsely sobbing as tears run down her face. Pacifica takes a deep breath, fists clenching around the makeshift reigns. She didn't bother with a trivial 'I bet he's okay.' She couldn't remember a time when those words ever helped her.

Soon, those primordial screams fade away, and Mabel's vision slowly begins to darken around the edges. Her breathing becomes more sloppy, jittering in odd places, and her body is quivering. Her leg is almost soaked in blood at this point, and most of her body is slumped against Icarus's shoulders and neck. The two axolotls were licking at her face desperately, trying to keep her awake.

Pacifica spared a hand to shake her shoulder. "Mabel? Mabel, you've gotta stay awake, alright?"

She says nothing, merely staring as trees pass by in a blur, cheek resting against the back of Icarus's neck. The Dump's railing was starting to become visible, crawling with axolotls as always. They somehow manage to leap over the fence, causing a series of dismayed squeaks and squeals.

Pacifica glances around, muttering to herself about how she barely knew where to start looking, but the axolotls soon start poking and shoving at the raptor's feet, shuffling Icarus toward a well-hidden, makeshift enclosure. The supposed opening suddenly parted, and out stepped a figure, heavily bandaged, a gun in their hand. Mabel lifts her head weakly, her face twisting in pain. "..I..It's you..?"

Everything suddenly seems to sway, before she feels herself tilt to the side, and it all goes black.

\--

Stanley Pines was not having a good time. He had been planning to sort of just push one of the younglings out of the nest and hope it would be able to glide to the ground, but, as with everything in his life, the universe wanted to prove him wrong. As soon as the nest flipped, he found himself screaming, voice lost to the wind, while his hands desperately clung to the rainbow of string attached to one of the baby pterodactyls as they flew through the air. A small part of him registered the beauty of the view: he could see the entire town and the signature canyons, with the sky a startlingly clear cerulean blue. Such a beautiful sight to die to.

Then pain exploded throughout his body as both he and the babies came crashing down onto the forest floor, branches going flying and long gashes in the dirt being formed. At one point, Stan feels the rope slip out of his fingers, and he flies forward. He tumbles across the forest floor, eventually sliding to a stop, and wheezes in a breath. For a moment, he lays there and stares in amazement. He had been almost entirely certain he would've died in that crash, yet he could feel the throbbing in his arms and legs. Thank God for being wrong all the time, he thought weakly.

Then he felt sharp teeth suddenly sink into his shoulder, and the brief allusion of shock and amazement faded instantly. Right; hungry and angry pterodactyl babies. His fist swings without restraint, catching a sharp beak square in the jaw, and he somehow manages to leap to his feet in its moment of disorientation. It had two big gashes on it's body, one on it's back and another on it's stomach. It's wing was ripped to ribbons, almost looking broken. It stumbled back, whining and warbling in both confusion and pain. The two other babies were starting to close in too, one missing an eye, the other with a crooked jaw.

A small part of him feels bad for the poor things. He doesn't want to hit them while they were already so beaten, but his sympathy wouldn't remove the fact that these things were looking to kill him. MissingEye rushed forward with an angry scream, wings splayed and claws outstretched, aiming to latch on and maul. He waits for a count of three, then speeds to the side to have it slide past him. He stumbles over an overgrown root.

MissingEye screeches as he goes face-first into a tree, crumpling to the ground, a limp heap. The two other babies were still up and running though, and when they saw Stan stumble, they took their chance. Within seconds they were on him, and Stan felt himself scream. His mouth tasted dirt as they plant a foot on his back. He frantically tries to lift himself, arms shaking and spine protesting. This was not how he was going to die. He was not going to become some overgrown bird's lunch, god dammit!

A loud blast of noise filled the air out of nowhere, and he felt a thick splash of liquid splatter against his back. The weight on his body slowly slipped away, and pained, weak screeching was heard. He shakily climbs to his feet, twisting and raising his fists in case the dinosaurs came at him again. The baby with the crooked jaw laid dead at his feet, mouth still wide open in a visible snarl, it's stomach looking to have been blown to pieces. The other one was squirming on the ground, a whole wing now missing, ripped off of the socket. He blinks for a moment, then slowly turns in the direction the bullets - he could only guess bullets, but he wouldn't be surprised if it was something else - must have come.

Old Man McGucket stood there, a shotgun in his hands, still smoking from the barrel. He lowers it, looking around one last time before walking toward him. "You alright? I came as soon as I could."

He exhales a gusty breath. "I've been through worse. One of them had the shield."

"...Well, if it's not here, it must be somewhere around. You sure you ok? No wounds?"

"Ah." His wound throbbed as his adrenaline ebbed. "My shoulder."

"Lemme see, who knows what kind of germs them scaly rats got." He drops the gun before walking closer, fishing a medical kit out of a bag he's got resting on his back.

Stan carefully removes his jacket, settling on a log so he wouldn't have to bend over for the shorter man. "Mabel was hurt pretty bad. She got away, though."

McGucket blinks, wincing slightly at the many tooth marks in the flesh of Stan's back, before starting to apply the standard disinfectant and numbing gel. "Well, let's hope that Powers fella can handle things."

Stan sighs softly. "Yeah..." He then blinks, eyes going wide. "Wait, what?"

\--

Pacifica frowns at the bandaged man currently snipping the thread on Mabel's newly sutured leg. "Who are you again?"

"...Powers. Who are you?" He tightens the thread one last time before sighing, grabbing some gauze and beginning to wrap up the newly stitched wound. Dozens of axolotls were crawling all over Mabel's body, who was thankfully gaining color back in her face, sleeping soundly. They all seemed to be humming, frills splayed, eyes closed.

"Pacifica," she said, then, after a moment of hesitation, "Northwest."

He pauses, a flicker of confusion appearing on his face, before it fades. "..I see..." He wraps up the wound steadily, adjusting Mabel's leg for a moment. "..Give her a few hours; apparently these lizards possess remarkable healing abilities."

"Right." She hugs herself. "We were looking for a shield of some kind. It's supposed to be able to defeat Bill."

Powers nods, sitting back in a chair that at least still had three legs. "..Bill...That's the name of that...creature, right?"

"I prefer demon, honestly," she grumbles. "To him, it's either join the cult or die."

He's silent for a moment, then almost seems to shudder. "..I wouldn't say demon. What we saw was...somehow worse. Then again, it was mostly that..monster of a child.."

"A... child?" Her first thought is Gideon, but she immediately dismisses it. Very few kids live in the town though. The only other that she knew about was....

"It was her brother." He points at the still sleeping Mabel, his expression almost haunted, yet cold. "..He trapped us down there, in the depths of a gutted UFO. He nearly killed us then and there, nearly drove my partner mad. If it wasn't for that old man finding us..." He sighs. "...I can't wait to tear this wicked town to the ground."

"Her brother..." She frowns. "He's the second in command. He's... working directly with Bill."

He just goes quiet for a moment, rubbing his face with a hand. "..I knew there was something wrong with him, but I never suspected this."

"He doesn't know that Mabel is working against him."

"..Good. That's good. If that old man played his cards right, then both him and that demon won't know we escaped either." He goes quiet for a moment. "..It was strange, though. He said that he found a note, and it led him to us."

"A note?"

"Yes, I believe so..." He points over to a desk, covered in minuet scratches and bumps. "It should be right there."

She shifts and glances at Mabel, then walks over to the table. True to his word, a messily written note rests on the middle of the desk. She picks it up, eyes narrowing as she starts to read it over, the faint scent of liquor radiating from the paper. After a few seconds, her eyes widen, and she briefly pinches at her nose. "..Motherfucker..."

"What is it?" Powers turns to her.

"I know who wrote this." She turns toward Powers, face both confused and exhasperated. "It's Rick fucking Sanchez."

"Rick Sanchez?" He frowns. "I feel like I've heard the name before.

A voice was heard in that moment, and from the second it was heard, it was instantly clear that the voice did not belong to anyone they knew. It seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at once, and it sounded faintly exasperated, but also quite...surprised. "Ok...That's it. After hearing some shit like that, I can't really stay hidden anymore. I wish I could've, really, I do, but somehow that little fucking revelation managed to take all my sense of caution and chuck it out the window into a screaming pit of fire."

Pacifica clutches the note close to her chest, the agent glancing around for any kind of weapon he could use. Both of them were silent, eyes wide.

"Oh, calm down, I'm not here to kill any of you. Trust me, that would fuck up the timeline even more then it already is." A pause of silence, before the voice became much more clear and corporeal. "Ehem."

They both turn around, toward the entrance of the enclosure, and their eyes widen upon what they see; a very familiar triangular figure, with the same top hat and golden bricks, standing there, his arms folded, expression looking almost irritated, brow furrowed. There were some differences however, like the fact he was barely smaller then Pacifica, at least by two feet, not counting the hat. He also wore what looked like a poncho, colored a deep blue with swirling stripes of silver and golden hues, and there was a red bandana wrapped around his left hand, covering his wrist, like a makeshift fingerless glove. Light blue wings seemed to extend from his back somehow, at least 4 of them in total, the feathers seeming to sparkle and shine like stars, looking quite soft, even fluffy.

Deep cracks seemed to be covering his entire body, looking harsh, as if one idle shove could send his entire body crashing into little pieces like a piece of glass, and his eye looks almost...fragmented. One part of the eye looked normal, with the regular white sclera and black pupil, while the rest looked oddly...inverted. It was an eerie sight to be sure. There was a long moment of silence before the triangle lifted a hand up, tipping his hat almost carefully. "Hello, you two. The nickname is Lotl, because calling me Bill 2.0 or something like that is just stupid. I'm not here to kill you or capture you or anything like that."

He places his hat back on his head, before smirking slightly. "I'm here to keep you alive."

\--

 _A few hours earlier_...

Gideon had long since woken up, and though he was more than terrified of the possible implications of screwing up that rather delicate spell, he was perhaps more frightened by the scraping sound coming from the cave's entrance. Though he would never admit it to anyone, it was the unexpected burp that nearly sent him screaming.

"Wow. You're still tied up." A lanky figure strode to the rocky ledge, sipping at a rectangular canister. You can just tell them. "Would have thought you'd get out of those yourself, but whatever." The man hopped down. Jesus, you're all for drama, aren't you? As he neared the now trembling kid, it became apparent he was wearing some kind of leather jacket, though, for whatever reason, Gideon imagined a labcoat would probably look a lot better on him. The man grumbled and prodded the kid's side, then glared at the walls of the cave. "Well, it took you long enough to get here! I've been - been waiting for ages to move on with the - this fucking story! I can't even imagine how your prec-precious audience feels."

He grumbled a few more expletives, then pulled a small scrap of paper and a pen out of an inner pocket of his jacket. "Okay. Let's see. 'Hey, whoever the fuck is reading this because the writers are all kinds of fucked up. Those agents from, like, chapter nineteen, twenty? They're probably bleeding to death at the bottom of the alien spaceship. You're welcome. Rick Sanchez.'" He drops the paper, letting it flutter to the ground next to Gideon. A pocket knife fell shortly thereafter. "Make yourself useful for once." The man turned, taking another swig of illicit alcohol, and scaled the rock wall leading to the entrance. He waves as if giving jazz hands. "Ooh, look, big reveal! Ooh, look, flashy exit! Ooh, look-"


	24. The Newcomer(s)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you for the lovely comments! Keep it up, please!

"Maybe you need some sleep." Dipper takes another bite of egg.

"..Maybe. You can have my breakfast if you want." Mabel stands from the table, walking toward the stairs.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'll eat later.." She waves a hand dismissively before disappearing from sight.

Dipper watches as his sister scales the stairs toward the attic, frowning slightly. Her breakfast was hardly touched. He couldn't remember the last time she had refused such a sugary breakfast. "Stan, has Mabel been worrying about anything recently?"

Stan looks up from his newspaper, blinking at the question. "..No, not that I know of. You think something's wrong?"

He shifts and swallows a few more bites of bacon and eggs. "It's probably nothing."

Silence persisted for a few seconds, tense and crawling with fearful uncertainty. Then, all at once it was broken by the sound of crashing glass, and a door being thrown open. Ford's voice rang through the air, filled with rage. "YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!"

Dipper jumps from his chair. "Was that-?" He glances between the Stan and the window.

Stan doesn't even glance up from his paper. "I just ignore it."

He shifts. "I'm gonna see what's going on." He darts out the door before Stan could protest.

"Try not to get killed." Was the old man's only response.

Dipper hurries across the clearing and toward the forest where he saw Ford run. He can still hear his Grunkle shouting, which he takes to mean that he hadn't gone all to far into the woods, and creeps closer to the noise. He flexes his fingers, regretting that he hadn't thought to pick up some cutlery on his way out.

The sight that greeted him once he got close enough was...bizarre to to say the least. Ford was standing over a relatively young-looking man with what looked like light blue hair, beating him repeatedly in the face with a broom. Said man was clutching a sandwich to his chest, laughing and giggling to himself. Ford's teeth grit, giving the man another harsh smack. "I HAVEN'T SEEN YOUR ASS FOR 30 YEARS AND YOU DECIDE TO SHOW UP AGAIN BY TRASHING MY HOUSE AND EATING MY LUNCH?!"

"What kinda gree'ing did ya ex-esp-exspesc-expect?" He manages to pull out a small flask from his jacket pocket, but the next swing of the broom slaps it out of his hands. He pouts. "Man. Not - n-not cool."

"For fuck's sake, how drunk are you right now?!" Ford whacks him one more time, before finally sighing and dropping the broom, hands rubbing his face. "...Dipper, I know you're there."

Dipper sidles out from behind a tree. "Who is that? And why are you beating him with a broom?"

Ford sighs again and lightly kicks at the man's arm. "Meet Rick Sanchez. An old colleague of mine, one that I thought would never come back." He shoots a dark glare at Rick, before kicking him again. "Say hello, Rick."

"Heeey," he waves, not even trying to sit up. "Who are - hey, kid, who - who are you? Never seen you before."

Ford rolls his eyes before the boy can say anything, grabbing the wasted man by the back of the shirt and hauling him to his feet. "That's Dipper, my nephew. You still haven't answered my question; why did you come back?"

"What? A friend can't p-portal into an old friend's home and steal a sandwich for old time's sake?" He flippantly waves said sandwich, smirking. Ford shakes him a little and he chuckles. "Okay, okay. Heard some - some fun shit was goin' down. Thought I'd join in."

The older man stares for a moment, his eye vaguely twitching before his glasses turn reflective. Dipper feels the familiar tingle crawl down his neck, and the wind picks up slightly. Ford huffs, glaring at a random tree. "If I didn't know you, I'd say you've gone insane."

"Heheh. I get that a lot." Rick finally gets his feet under him, swaying slightly as he pats Ford's back. "I - I heard somethin' - something else on my way here, by the way. Some sc-screams coming from the alien space ship. Left the door open for you."

The old man grits his teeth in annoyance. "I wasn't talking to-..What?" His expression turns into that of shock.

"Yeah. All this, 'Help! Help!' and - a-and stuff." He waves his hands, then tilts his head. "Got some cult stuff going on, or just some idiots who got lost?"

Ford slowly turns around towards Dipper, eyes behind reflective lenses. His voice was quiet, eerily so. "...Dipper, where did you "take care" of the agents?"

The boy freezes. "I... It's not possible. I trapped them in the UFO days ago! They were surrounded by eye bats and monsters without weapons, and they were injured!"

"SO WHY DIDN'T YOU KILL THEM?!" Within seconds, Ford's hand was grasping the boy by the shirt collar, lifting him up in the air. "IF THEY'RE STILL ALIVE, THAT MEANS SOMEONE COULD COME ACROSS THEM! AND IF THEY MANAGE TO GET BACK TO THEIR SUPERIORS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, THEN WE'LL HAVE THE ENTIRETY OF THE FUCKING ANERICAN GOVERNMENT COMING DOWN ON OUR HEADS!" With that, he drops the boy, growling to himself as he stalks back toward his house.

Dipper blinks for a moment, then stands and whirls to face him. "At least I did something about them! The entire town was basically giving it all away! They already knew something was up with us, so it was a matter of time anyways."

Ford doesn't respond for a moment, before huffing, teeth gritted harshly, marching back toward his house and going inside. "We WEREN'T giving it away; everything was all on you! In fact, you were the only reason they found anything suspicious at all!"

"Bill was fine with it!" He charges after Ford, ignoring the stumbling Rick who followed them. "And either way, one was paralyzed from the waist down and frothing-in-the-mouth insane."

"Bill was only fine with it because he was too busy-" Ford cuts himself off, his cheeks starting to burn slightly. "..Nevermind. The point is they're still alive. But they're not gonna stay that way for long." He digs around in a closet before finally pulling out an axe.

"Do..." He hesitated. "Do you need any help? I might know a few places to ditch the bodies."

"I don't intend to leave any." He sighs after a moment. "...Watch Rick. Make sure he doesn't break anything, please." He places the axe over his shoulder before walking back out the door.

Rick slips inside as Ford wanders off. "He hasn't relaxed at all since I last saw him." He sips at his flask - he must have retrieved it earlier - and leans against a wall. His shoulders relaxed slightly. "Dipper, right?"

The boy couldn't help but stare up at Rick, looking a tad perplexed. Wasn't this guy just absolutely tanked a second ago? "..Yeah." He then sighs, sitting back on a chair, idly looking over the room, and the many pieces of supernatural junk covering it. He couldn't help but smile slightly when he sees a familiar shadow on the wall.

"I see you two have fucked already." Rick moved to peruse the shelves, poking at a few glass pyramids and a strange looking cylindrical device that sparks when he touches it. "Let me - let me guess: you've let him into your mindscape and given him permission to possess you when you see fit. Beyond that, you're... second in command? Second in command of whatever cult thing is going on."

Dipper's face immediately flushed at the first question, and his eyes dart over to watch the other move around. "...I, uh..." He notices the shadow of Bill, and he was winking with a smirk. The boy narrows his eyes at him. "You shut up."

Rick rolls his eyes and sips at his flask again, heading toward the kitchen. "Do you know if Ford has any Livantian meats? The stuff is great for hangovers."

"I-Wha-...No?" Dipper stands up to follow him, glaring slightly. "Who even are you? How do you know Ford? Why are you helping us? That is why you're here, right?"

He rolled his eyes, pulling Ford's fridge open and acquiring several sandwich ingredients. "Jesus, kid. You ask a lot of questions. I'm Rick Sanchez. Helped Ford make the portal under his - h-his house. Now, wait here a moment." Rick produces a sleek, white device from his pocket and aims it in a random direction. A small burst of light later and a green and yellow oval of swirling energy glistens from the wall. He says nothing as he walks forward and disappears into the vortex.

Dipper's brow furrows, confusion evident in his gaze, but before he can say anything, the man suddenly disappears via vortex, leaving nothing but empty air behind. "..I..Portal? What?" He stares daggers at Bill's shadow. "Why have you never told me about a portal?!"

The shadow seems to shy away a little, then shrugs. A moment later, Rick reappears with a scaly creature in his hands. And 'in his hands' means, in this case, that one is holding the body and the other is holding the head. Cerulean blood drips onto the floor before he tosses the carcass onto the counter.

The boy jumps at the sight of the portal reporting, blinking with wide eyes at the sight of Rick stepping through it, only to scramble back, hands going up to his hair. "Wha-WHAT THE FUCK?! WHAT IS THAT?!"

"And here we go again," he sighs. In the background, the portal zips closed. "Kid, hold it together. You've probably seen a wide array of creatures around - around here already. This one is no different."

"WELL-I-YEAH-BUT-" He flounders for several moments before covering his face with his hands for a moment, then taking a deep breath. "..Why did you bring a corpse? And what was that...thing you walked through?"

"I brought this to cure my hangover. And that was a portal leading to another universe." He runs another device over the creature, leaving it a steaming hunk of cooked meat. "Where are the knives?"

"Uhh..Over there." He points at a drawer, but then blinks. "Wait, a portal? To another universe? J-Just like that?"

"Yup." He grabs one and cuts a few slices from the chunk of meat. "Ford always told me it would be impossible to make one s-so - so small."

Dipper's eyes are suddenly impossibly wide. Within moments, he has a pen and notebook in hand. "That's amazing! How did you do it? What method did you use? What equations? Is there even a physical embodiment of time and space that you can split and fuse like that?"

Rick raises a brow. "Yeah, no. I haven't answered those questions in my entire life. I am not starting now."

The boy blinks, only to sigh and tuck the notebook away. "Fine, sure, just cockblock me why don't you?"

"Not even my family knows how I do it. Now that I think of it, I doubt Bill knows exactly h-how I made my portal gun." He slices the sandwich precisely down the middle. "Anyways, yeah. There's a huge portal thing underground. Ford used it a while back to create a rift between Bill's dimension and this one. He lost it somehow and has been looking for it ever since."

Dipper blinks, raising a brow skeptically. "How can you lose a rip in time and space?"

Rick, chewing through a bite of sandwich, rolls his eyes. "You fuck with me, obviously."

"..Mind elaborating on that?"

"Fiddleford."

"...Who is that?"

"You might know him as Old Man McGucket." Rick stared at Dipper's blank expression. "Do you - God, why do I always have to - fine, whatever." He mumbles something about plot devices and sets down his sandwich. "McGucket was the third partner working on the Portal. Old friend of Ford's or whatever. Pretty nice guy. Probably could have beaten Steve Jobs at making computers, if it wasn't for Fordsy over here making him go insane. Literally scrambled his brains."

Dipper stares for a moment before blinking, a bit taken aback. "...What? Why would Ford do that?"

"Well, Bill, obviously," he says, speaking through meat, cheese, and bread. "Got into - got into Ford's head and told him to make the portal. He actually told him up front that his dimension was decaying, so Ford felt bad and made the portal and all. Then Bill told him to get rid of Fiddleford, because he was - he was getting too close to some stuff. So he got rid of him."

Dipper stares for a moment, only for his eyes to narrow a bit. It was obvious that there was more to the story, but this Rick character seemed to be a tough nut to crack, so he probably wouldn't get answers from him. "..I see. I'm guessing you were there when all that went down?"

"I was in town," he offers, "destroying that fucking portal."

"..What?" The boy's eyes widen in shock.

"Yeah." He shrugs. "Bill gave me a pretty bad headache over that. Which brings us to the main point of this discussion."

"...Which is...?"

"Bill," he says simply. "He's not like other Bills. He's more..." He waves a hand, searching for the words. "Absolute."

Dipper stares for a few moments, brain scrambling to decipher what the man meant. "..Other Bills? Like, Bills from other dimensions? Does that operate under Multiverse theory or something else?"

"Multiverse is just about th-the closest thing." He finishes his sandwich and fishes out his portal gun. "Infinite universes, infinite timelines, infinite dimensions, infinite numbers of people, infinite Bills. But, if the theories on that are right, which they are because I made them, then this universe's Bill - no, this universe itself is THE universe. The first universe, the universe that generated other universes based on probability and physics and something about fish? I think the Rick from this timeline was fucking with the other Ricks when he made the constant alpha."

The boy found himself mentally smacked in the face with those words, and he waves his hands back and forth, trying to get the other to stop talking. "WAIT! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait. What? What do you mean 'THE' Universe? What is that? Are you saying that the Multiverse evolved from this specific branch in the timeline or something?"

"Pretty much."

His jaw practically hits the floor, and he spends the next minute or two floundering speechlessly, mind utterly floored and stumbling around, trying to get a grip on what was conveyed. "I..Ju-Wh-.....WHAT?!?!"

"Yeah. Kinda freaky for the first few minutes, right?"

"How is that even possible?! How can infinite dimensions and timelines evolve from a singular strand that could only exist from the forces the Multiverse make in the first place?! Wouldn't time and space theoretically not even exist, yet somehow exist at the same time?! How is this entire world not twisting into some fucked up paradox where the very laws of reality don't even exist?! AM I EVEN REAL?! OR AM I JUST SOME STRANGE COSMIC PHENOMENON THAT HAS NO FORM OF EXISTING BEYOND THE REALITY THAT IS BUILT IN MY OWN HEAD?!"

Thin hands grip his shoulders and he realizes he's hyperventilating. "Kid, deep breaths. You're still here. You exist. You just know a little more."

"..I...I..." He shakes, trying to concentrate on the hands on his shoulders. "..I'd say that's...more then a little.."

"Nothing's changed. Just the way you see things."

"..But it will change...when Bill comes here..That does beg the question, though; if there are other Bills, does that mean there are other mes?"

"Yeah. Here, sit down." He guides him into the living room, both of them taking a seat. "There's infinite everyones because there are infinite universes. Infinite mes, infinite yous, infinite Fords. That - that kind of stuff."

"..Are all of them.." He pauses, a kind of uncertainty darting across his features. "..Like me?"

"The Dippers? Well, most of them. Almost all of you get involved with a Bill in one way or another. Most of you end up on his side, and - and most of you end up killing the majority of your family. Real sadistic stuff. But there are a few who side against Bill, and I suppose it's a bit rare for both Ford AND you to be on Bill's side.... Whatever." He shrugs and leans back.

The boy sits there for a moment or two, simply looking down at the floor, expression intense, mind drawing a very grim conclusion; judging by what Rick said, it was common for other selves to be like this, to be on the side of Bill. But at the same time, that meant it was also common for other selves to go and kill his family, possibly even Mabel. That behavior is common for a reason, and because of how much it happens, one might say it could almost be considered...expected.

And if that were true...

No. No. No way. There is no way he will ever allow that to happen. Not now, not ever. His fists momentarily clench, before he sighs and looks back upwards. "..If this universe is the core universe, what will happen when Bill gets here? It's..honestly never really been explained."

"Hm." Rick fiddles with something he had found in his pocket. "Honestly just a little bit of con-conjecture, but I'd be prepared for all the other universes to collapse in on each other, making one singular, uh, alpha-verse, if you will. Any number of - of thin-things could happen. Maybe all the Dipper's except for you just stop existing. Maybe everyone continues existing, but in one gianormous congl-conglomeration of universe's held within one massive bubble."

The boy has to sit there for a few moments, just to try and confirm what the other was saying. "..So..Every single universe, every dimension, every timeline just..." He claps his hands together as if to simulate the sudden forces of the infinite expansion of reality crashing into one singular confined space. He stares at his hands for a moment, eyes wide, barely able to even grasp the concept. If Bill succeeded, if he accomplished these goals, there was no telling what could happen, what the demon would turn into. It was possible he could become something else altogether, a being of supreme power that couldn't even be properly seen in any sort of sense. Maybe he would exist as a bodiless entity that couldn't even be properly thought of anymore. It was frightening, in a sense, but yet...rather exciting, exhilarating, even.

"Yup. I don't think anyone's gonna be very happy about that. I know I definitely won't be, but that's my problem, right?" He throws a glare at the shadow on the wall.

Bill's eye just narrows slightly, and Dipper feels himself tense, breath hitching at the sight, fingers curling ever so slowly into fists. Then the shadow just rolls his eye and the tension leaves just as quickly, and the boy's eyes flick back over to Rick. "..So, why did you come here, exactly?"

"Well, I wasn't lying about wanting to join in on the fun," he says. He shrugs. "And apparently me stepping in all those years ago is coming full circle. Plot needs someone to plug a few leaks."

"..Ok? But what does that mean? What are you going to do?"

"Can't tell you. Top secret."

The boy just narrows his eyes, suspicion lingering in his gaze. That was a red flag in every sense of the word, not to mention how this man already had a history of going against the cult...

"You wanna try and kill me, go ahead. I'm not gonna stop you." He stands. "Just know that no one's ever succeeded, and that includes Ford and Bill. Multiple Bills actually."

"...I won't kill you. Not until Bill gives me the word anyway." The boy glances at the shadow, who merely smirks, but still signals for no with a thumbs-down.

"Brilliant." He pulled out his portal gun. "I think that's about it. I've gotta go do my things."

"Hmm. I should probably go check on Ford; see if he's found the agents yet." Dipper sighs and stands up, walking toward the door.

"Yeah. Hey, tell Ford he needs to work on his lie detecting. He used to know when I was bullshitting him."

That gets the boy to blink, and he turns around. "Wha-?"

But he's already gone.

\--

Ford takes in a measured breath as he closes and seals yet another corridor of the alien space craft. He had expected to be able to scry their locations, but any attempt to do so only brought images of Dipper's past exploits, and those, while quite humorous to watch, were just wasting his time. He picks the axe back up, giving it a swing or two before marching onwards, one of his hands lighting up with flame in order to see better, while the other held his weapon over his shoulder with ease. He grumbles at the occasional sight of an eyeball bat or flaming salamander, mulling over the possibility of herding them out of the craft; it would have to take a lot of baby deers.

He sighs. This is a mess. He should have gotten Dipper to tell him what he had done instead of just sitting around doing nothing. As far as he could tell, the agents were long gone and possibly telephoning their superiors about an insane twelve year old. "God dammit.." He whispers into the empty desolate hallways, his breath coming out as gusts of steam due to the frigid cold.

A ringing voice suddenly echoes through the halls. "Ford? Where are you?"

"..Dipper? What is it? Did Rick break anything?" He turns around, trying to peer through the darkness.

"No, he portaled away somewhere." Shoes thud once against metal before he speaks again. "There's a little bit of animal blood on the counters, though."

He sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Of course..Is that what you came here to tell me?"

Dipper rounds a corner, finally making it into the light. "I actually came to see if you found them."

Ford's eyes soften slightly, though he shakes his head. "No, no sign of them, not physically at least. Still trying to sense them through magic. Either they got eaten, vaporized, or, worse, found." He rubs his face with a hand, burying the axe in the ground with a swing, before sighing, both hands rubbing over his eyes.

"I... I should have just killed them." When Ford peeks through his fingers, Dipper is scuffing the floor with a frown on his face. "I was so sure they wouldn't be able to get out...."

Something in Ford's chest twists slightly at the sight, and he walks forward to gently pull him into a hug. "..I suppose I've forgotten a few things in my haste to make sure the Day comes by smoothly. The fact that you're just a kid was one of them. I..I'm sorry."

Dipper blinks for a moment, then relaxes into the hug. "It's alright. I've been told I have that effect on people."

"Heh..I can see why." Ford smiles slightly, a touch relieved that the boy's more begrudging side wasn't visible this time.

"What should we do about them?" He pulls back and looks up at him. "They might have already contacted their superiors."

There was a brief moment of silence, and Ford looked away, his hands wringing together nervously. "..Well..I don't know...Did you tell them anything about Bill or the town?"

"They saw Bill, but I never said anything specific. I never mentioned the town, just you and myself."

"..Saw Bill? What do you mean?"

"My eye. He possessed me, sorta, and they could see him in my eye."

"..Hmm. I see. Hopefully the severity of the situation is improbable enough to buy us some time. If not, if you see any sign of the agents or government forces..." He stills for a moment, then holds out his hand. "Why don't I just show you?"

He blinks, then takes Ford's hand. Within an instant, Dipper's brain was...filled with knowledge of a singular hidden location, out in the middle of the forest, concealed underneath a tree made of metal. It wasn't like a steady stream of coordinates or images, nor was it a massive influx of data all at once. It just wasn't there...and then it was.

He snaps back to the present, his hand instinctively leaping from Ford's. His heart races, simultaneously frightened and intrigued. "That... What was that?"

"Heh, no need to worry. Just gave your brain a little upload there." Ford chuckles a touch at the reaction.

"It felt... weird." He shakes his head a little. "So, go there if anything happens?"

"That's right. I built it a while back, but that's not important." He waves a hand dismissively, before smiling down at the boy. "How about you go home, rest a little? I'm fine searching this place by myself."

"You sure?" He shifts. "I can help."

"It would be best if you just laid low for now, stayed close to your sister, in case anything happens."

He frowns a little, then nods. "Alright. Get me if you find them?"

"I'll let you know the moment I have a trace."

His body seems to relax a little. "Thanks. Hope you find them."

"Heh..I do too." He turns around to pick up the axe, wrenching it up from the ground. As he hears Dipper turn around and walk away, he tilts his head ever so slightly, body tensing the slightest bit. He could feel it, deep in his bones, a thin presence of magic that wasn't his own, small, but coated in Bill's residual energy.

He lets a smirk lift his lips, and he walks down deeper into the ship, leisurely in his stride.

\--

Dipper leaps up the steps to Stan's shack. He slips inside and into the living room, then into the kitchen, and finally upstairs to the bedroom. He frowns. He knew Mabel liked wandering around, so he wasn't entirely surprised to not find her in the house, but he was somewhat surprised to find Stan missing.  
He peeks inside their room, eyes reflexively glancing at the triangular window, which was...ajar? He frowns harder as he walks over to close it. As the panels shut, the triangle on the window blinks back at him, almost looking just as puzzled.

"I'm guessing you weren't paying much attention over here?" Dipper mutters.

"Even if I was, I can't see much in here; there are no peepholes in this place except for this window."

"Yeah. I should make a few more for you." He shifts a few pillows, resting on the edge of the window seat.

"Stan would tear them down as fast as you could put them up." The eyeball shifts to look at him.

"Ah, I can find good hiding places." He kicks his legs and scans the room.

"Really, now? Go ahead then. Amuse me and tell me where'd you put them." The eye turns up into a grin, and an arm creeps out of the shadows to skirt it's claws over his shirt. "Your own skin, I'm guessing?"

He shivers, flushing a little at the touch. "I wouldn't mind that. Mobile eyes are better than stationary ones."

"We could add runes to them, to enhance your body." The claws trace teasingly up and down, the eye narrowing into a thin slit. "You could be able to snap bones with a simple touch. You could send out waves of flame with a snap of your fingers. You could peer into the minds of others and project their worst nightmares.." There was a chuckle, and the sensation of teeth, sharp, pointed, brush against his jawline. "Of course the runes have to be carved in. But something tells me you can handle that quite well~."

He shudders, a small laugh escaping him. "Maybe when you're here. I'd like you to do them."

"Oh? You flatter me, Pine Tree. Tell me, when I rise to power, what exactly will you do first, hm? I have some ideas.." Those fangs drift down to his shoulder, not quite biting yet, but the feeling was there.

He takes in a thin breath of air, face flushing. "I - I don't know exactly. I haven't thought that far."

"Really? Nothing at all? Nothing you would want to do?" The eye frowns, almost pouting, as if disappointed.

He shifts, looking away. "I... Sorry. I'm not really used to.... Everyone's always told me not to...."

"To what?" The smirk comes back. "I know exactly what you want, kiddo. Go on, say it. No one's listening except me."

Dipper fidgets, hands restlessly trilling against against the sill. "To... To kill people."

Bill's eye lights up with a devilish smile, and he chuckles. Claws card over Dipper's hair softly. "Aw, and why, pray tell, should you be listening to them at all? They never loved you. They hated you. Why obey their rules?"

He shrugs. "It's all I've ever known."

The claws still for a moment. "Hmm...True. I suppose we can pay a special visit to your hometown then? The looks on your parent's faces will be priceless."

Dipper huffs out a laugh. "That would definitely be nice."

Bill's smirk only widens. "You and Shooting Star will finally be free when I come into this world. Don't you worry."

He relaxes at that, but then straightens, blinking. "Wait. Mabel. Where is she?"

The grin fades, and the eye narrows. "..I can't see her..."

"Not at all?" He stands, turning to face him.

"..No. Nothing."

He bites his lip. "Maybe she went out with Stan. Can you see him?"

The eye narrows again, before Bill hums to himself. "Hm..Nope."

He moves toward his bed, dragging his backpack out from under it and digging through its contents.

"..What are you doing, kid?" The eye blinks, before a shadow peels off of the window's outline, floating toward him.

"Radio," he mutters, finally revealing a black rectangle and pulling open its antenna.

"Oh.." He watches curiously.

He flicks a few dials and switches, then presses down on a button. The radio buzzed for a moment, then clicked. "Come in, Mabel. Dipper to Mabel, where are you?" He pauses for a moment, frowning as nothing comes back. "We need to talk. Something's going on up here." More static. "Is there somewhere I can find you, or can you come back to-" A loud ka-chk! blares from the walkie-talkie, followed by a sharp and sudden silence. Dipper's eyes widen, pulse picking up. "Mabel? Mabel, come in. Are you there?"

Bill blinks at the sudden commotion, leaning closer. "Hmm..That's weird."

"I - I need to find her." He stands, gripping the radio tighter and striding toward the door.

Bill's eye widens, and the shadows grow claws that yank the boy back by his vest. "Hey, hey, hey! Wait a second, kid! You don't even know where they are!"

Dipper struggles, then unzips his vest and stumbles forward. "I'm going to find her, Bill."

The vest is tossed to the side, his arms being grabbed now, trying to tug him back into the room. "Pine Tree! Calm down, we'll find them!"

"How can we find her in here?" He grinds his heels into the ground, but stumbles back with Bill. "She's outside!"

There was a frustrated growling sound before the shadows faded, and Dipper's left eyeball suddenly started burning. His muscles began to jerk, fight against his mind's commands, his whole body starting to short circuit.

"B-Bill-" He hesitates as his voice comes off as less than corporeal, and his body slowly relaxes as he tries to gain his bearings. "What... What's going on?"

"Paralyzed your body by taking control of your brain." Bill's voice was heard in his head, yet at the same time, also coming out of his mouth. "Now stop being an idiot and listen to me."

"Okay. Okay. How do we find Mabel?" He cautiously tries to move his fingers.

His fingers only seemed capable of moving at least two inches before Bill put a stop to it; it felt as if a deep pressure was on top of his entire body, crushing it to the ground, keeping him immobile. "Well, we could try scrying on that window to see her location. Since you aren't skilled with magic yet, I'll have to give you my energy to do it."

"I... Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. Let's try that."

"Good." The pressure dissipates instantly, yet the feeling of...something in his eye is still there.

He takes a breath, blinking twice and touching his cheek below his eye. He turns toward the window. "What do I do first?"

The hand came away bloody, and Dipper could feel Bill shifting around slightly. "Walk toward the window and put your hands on the surface, but not the on the middle of the glass."

He lets his hand fall by his side, climbing onto the windowsill and doing as told. "Like this?"

"Yes, that's it. Now, don't move.." Words, the words of a spell, begin to slowly enter into his mind, just as a rush of...energy, of power, searing through his bones and crawling under his skin in a massive, almost fiery blaze, creeps down his body like a raging river. The window slowly begins to glow into a reflective white, glossy as it flares and solidifies into silver. The surface almost seems to ripple. "Okay, kid. Now, think of your sister, where she is."

Dipper's eyes widen for a moment, a tad shocked at the effects of Bill's magic, before he takes a deep breath, staring deeply into the white void, focusing on nothing but his sister. Mabel, Mabel, Mabel...The ripples grow in frequency, colors splashing along the waves and coalescing into splotches of green and brown.  
Eventually, the colors sharpen into an image of Mabel's face, stricken with horror, and a loud scream rings out through the air, piercing his ears and ringing in his skull. His body jolts and he tears his hand away, heart thudding with enough force to make his limbs shake. Before Bill can say anything, his hand returns to the surface. "Where is she? I need more than just that!"

"I-I don't know! There wasn't a clear image!"

"Then MAKE a clear image," Dipper almost growls, metaphysically pulling at that feeling of pure energy. He needs to know where she is, if she'll be alright. He can't lose - no, he can't even RISK losing her.

"Pine Tree, you need to calm down. I can't see her, not from this type of scrying. You're only projecting an image through the present tense, not looking into the past or future, but the magic it would require for you to do that is.." He trails off, and the boy starts to feel that energy ebb away as Bill begins to retreat back into the Mindscape.

"No."

Bill jostles, suddenly feeling himself lock into place within the boy.

"We are doing this, Bill."

The demon's eye widens as he feels Dipper's mind yank him back in, back into the link, back into his body. It takes him a few moments to even realize what happened, and he starts to struggle, to push up within the confines of his mind, the surge of energy between the two only growing weaker. "Wh-What are you-?!"

"Bill." He almost feels hands grip his angles from behind him. "I'm finding my sister. You aren't going anywhere until I know she's safe."

For a moment, there was silence, a heart-pounding silence that was dripping with tension, ice cold, gripping like the bitter chill of a winter's morning. Then, slowly, the demon went limp, and the energy flowed back. Dipper exhales, pressing into the window and rather crudely forcing his will upon the pane of glass. The surface doesn't ripple this time. It merely flicks different colors, as if flipping through TV stations. He grits his teeth, leaning closer toward the window, peering harder into the swirling vortex. The burning, the rushing energy in his limbs only increased, streaming through his veins, siphoning it straight from the presence in his body. He can feel something wet, warm, start to drip down his left cheek. Then his right.

"Dipper, kid, this is - you can kill yourself-"

"Shut up." His nose was dripping now. His chest was tight. The colors were changing, slowly. He curls his fingers and images begin flashing across the window, some staying for seconds, others darting before his eyes could even register them. Fangs come into view, then a forest, then Mabel's hair. The view shifts and shows her... with Pacifica? On a raptor?

The colors shift one more time, just barely starting to show the beginnings of an image. He coughs and blood hits the window.

"PINE TREE, STOP IT!!" A thunderous boom rings out through his head as the energy suddenly surges in his body, no longer flowing through it like a river, but launching it back from the window's surface like a battering ram, a small ring of blue fire rippling across the room in the process. The boy's body hits the floor like a sack of lead, twitching and gasping as the damage the magic had been doing finally sets in. He manages to curl onto his side, coughing spastically. His vision swims, intermittently colored with crimson.

He could feel the magic start to swirl in his veins, gentle, despite the harsh string of curses that were ringing around in his skull, slowly trying to reverse the damage. "I can't fucking believe you! How does it feel to be that idiotically stupid? Does it hurt to be that stupid? Do you feel any remorse when you act like a fucking dumbass?" Bill's voice was loud, yet displayed a certain crack that was only heard when both enraged and terrified for another one's well being.

He takes a deep breath. "Don't - don't worry. I've been through worse." He shifts a little, then wipes blood out of his eyes. "Are dinosaurs still alive?"

There was a brief moment of silence before Bill sighs. "...Only in isolated areas, yeah. If you saw one of those things, she must've gone into the abandoned mines. There are dozens of them entombed in tree sap."

"That doesn't sound good." He coughs again, copper coating his tongue. "Ghh."

"Don't you dare, kid. You're not fucking going anywhere after that little stunt; fucking nearly had your brain explode in your own damn skull. Didn't even stop to think about the consequences of harnessing the magic of AN ELDER GOD and forcing your body to undergo a spell you've never even trained for before. WHILE HOLDING THE AFOREMENTIONED ELDER GOD CAPTIVE IN YOUR OWN BRAIN. I'd clap in a sarcastic fashion, but I'm afraid my hands are too busy making sure you don't throw up your liquified organs!" Another cough, more blood. "Whoop! There goes your appendix!"

He chuckles a little. "Good thing I don't need that."

"Don't make my fingers slip, kid. They're getting real close. I lift my pinky up and your addam's apple's gone. No more hopes of deep, manly voices when puberty kicks your ass in the next year or so."

"Mmhmm." He closes his eyes, stilling, looking considerably tuckered out.

The demon goes quiet as he watches the other fall into a deep sleep, then sighs before getting back to work. "..She'll be fine, kid. I know so."

\--

When Mabel woke up, she honestly thought, for a split moment, she was still dreaming. It had been hazy, rough, her vision swimming in a murky film that turned everything into meaningless blotches of color. Her head was aching like it had been cracked open, her muscles burned like they were on fire, and her leg, oh God, her leg. It felt like her bones had been turned into meshes of barbed wire layered in sand paper, chafing away at her flesh from the inside. She grimaces, gritting her teeth to swallow down a bout of nausea, and slowly opens her eyes yet again, only to see the strangest sight.

At first, all she can make out is a strip of yellow with lines of blue streaking from it. Then her eyes focus and the strip becomes a triangle and the lines become wings. The triangle has a thin, black hand raised, the other clutching one of his own blue feathers, and is seemingly rebuking someone else."-did you think it was for? Decoration? I don't do decoration; I heal shit."

Mabel wanted to scream, no doubt about that. She wanted to scream in terror, but at the same time, rage. Rage at all the pain she's been out through, at all the heartache she's had to endure, at how this monster had taken away her brother, the only person she truly had left. She wanted to scream, scream, grab the nearest baseball bat and beat the bastard into a golden stain on the pavement. But considering the state of her body, all she could do was twitch, and gurgle. "Ggh..."

Lotl seems to blink upon hearing the gurgle, and whips around to face her with a small smirk, a chuckle ringing through the air. "Glad to see you're awake, kiddo. Let's see if we can get that leg of yours all patched up, well, patched up AGAIN." He casts a glare at the nearby Pacifica and Powers, who was holding a meat clever and a pistol, respectively, staring at him with mild glares.

Mabel makes another noise, then, with quite a bit of effort, turns her head toward Pacifica and the agent. Both of them seem on edge, but don't look eager to help kick the triangle into the next century. Noticing the look on her face, Pacifica presses her lips together. "He says he's not the Bill we're fighting, that he's working with the Axolotl."

Lotl holds up a finger, expression molding into one of mild irritation. "Correction; I'm working with the Oracle. Big difference." He turns to face Mabel again, folding his arms. "I was instructed to go into this dimension, to go and make sure that all of you stay alive. Which would definitely be a lot more easier if you yahoos didn't keep removing the feathers!" He huffs almost angrily, his wings ruffling behind his back.

She suddenly blinks. "The bathroom. That was you?"

Lotl nods, pointing a claw at her leg. "Yeah, sure was." He extends a wing to it's full length, which was at least 7 inches long. "These feathers-" He reaches up and plucks one off, wincing. "-Ow-are capable of being enchanted with any sort of specific magic I want. The one I gave you was meant to stop the bleeding, as well as make sure the giant gaping wound wouldn't worsen over time." At this, he glares over at Pacifica. "But apparently you didn't get the message! Great job; you nearly killed your best friend!"

"I didn't see any feather!" Pacifica waves her cleaver. "It's not like you couldn't have just left a note or something either."

"Tch, sure, leave a note when I was trying to make sure no one knew I was here. Great idea." His eye rolls at that, before finally sighing, floating up to hover near Mabel's head. "Here, this'll help." He presses the plucked feather to her forehead which starts to glow.

She shivers, but almost immediately feels the pain in her body dim to a dull throb. "That... feels a lot better. Thanks."

"No problem, kid. The nickname is Lotl, by the way; that way you don't have to call me Omega Bill or Bill 2 or some other stupid shit like that." His wings shift as they tuck inwards.

"Lotl," she repeats. "What exactly do you want with us?"

"You all got a big part to play in this story, and I'm the one that was sent to make sure it plays out the way it's supposed to." He reaches over to a table via stretching an arm out, plucking up a glass cup in his hand, dragging it back. He idly taps the rim with a finger, causing it to suddenly fill with water, to which he holds out for Mabel to take. "So, think of me as a guardian of sorts. You all have to stay alive to preserve the timeline, and I'm the only one who can provide said protection."

She carefully sits up and takes the cup. "How? Why?" Her brows furrow. "What do you gain from this?"

His eye looks away for a moment, then he sighs. "..Well, I like to think that it gives me a chance to correct an old mistake."

The way he says it makes her think twice about satisfying her curiosity. "So where's the sword, then? That's what we need to get next, right?"

Lotl blinks, only to chuckle a bit, his smile gentle. "I think we can get to that when you aren't recovering from massive blood loss, kiddo."

"What do we do then?"

"Well, YOU-" He gives her nose a soft poke. "-are gonna have to wait a day or two, rest up a bit while your body recovers." He glances over at Pacifica, not exactly glaring but his eye gaining an almost harsh gleam. "..Try and figure out what Rick is doing, please. Whatever it is, it could either save us, or ruin us."

Powers frowns. "Rick? What Rick?"

Pacifica stares for a moment, then exhales a curse. "Sanchez is involved in this?"

"Considering he gave McGucket that note telling him to go save their sorry asses-" He points at Powers. "-then, yes. I just don't know if he's on our side or not. If there's one thing about Ricks, they're unpredictable."

She exhales. "He... I think he scheduled a meeting with my dad today. It's been on the calendar for months."

The triangle floats there for a moment, expression looking vaguely grim. "..Well, to be on the safe side, assume nothing. Don't try and hide from him, but try not to get too close either."

"A little too late for that. Their meeting was set to start about thirty minutes ago. And I've ditched my entourage to help Mabel get the shield, so, yeah."

"Shit.." He briefly rubs at his eye with a hand, sighing. "...This could be a problem."

"I've done it before," Pacifica grumbles, "and Sanchez is always late."

"Doesn't matter if you've done it before, and you know it. Considering how this town is already strained enough as it is with the recent agent invasion, they'll be the first ones to draw blood the moment a sign of straying from the status quo is shown. Shooting Star is safe because she's the brother of the second in command; you and your shitty father are only kept around to keep trade routes flowing, and to bribe the real big feds to look the other way."

At this, Power's eyes go wide. "..What?"

Pacifica ignores him. "Yeah, and guess who's been paying my dad? We haven't lost a cent to the town our entire lives. The only reason these two got here was because Rick didn't pay up last time."

Lotl's eye narrows but before he can speak, Powers interrupts, stepping between the two. "What do you mean bribing? What's been going on in this place?!"

"A cult," Pacifica deadpans.

"I KNOW that." The man glares at her, looking like he was on the thin line of anger and hysterics. "What has your father been doing?! Are you telling me he's been, been flaunting money at government officials or something?!"

"Yeah, I am," she says, raising a brow. "Is it really that hard to believe that, out of the thousands of people working for the government, some just want to see everything blown to pieces by a demonic triangle? Or value their own lives above others, for that matter."

Lotl floats above Power's shoulder in order to meet her eye. "You haven't been on the outside, blondie; capitalism's got the entire U.S. society wrapped up in a sea of delusions. Brainwashed practically everyone into thinking their government would never seek to do harm on its precious citizens. They'd never think that thousands of individuals are scattered all over the world, waiting for the Day to come and claim the entire Multiverse."

She frowns at him, then looks aside. "I know plenty well what money can do to people, triangle."

He blinks, wings fluffing up as his expression contorts into that of slight anger. "Wow! Ok, can we avoid the racist slurs, please? I'm trying to help you here!"

"Well, I have a name too, and it definitely isn't 'blondie!'" She glares at him, hands on her hips.

He sighs and rolls his eye, but before he can say anything, there are several loud squeaks from outside, followed by footsteps. Pacifica grips the hilt of her cleaver tighter, turning with Powers toward the door. The curtains of the enclosure slowly opened upwards, and McGucket's face pokes through, shotgun barrel following suit. "Everything ok in here?"

The two relax. Pacifica tosses her blade onto a table. "Mabel's awake and a Bill from another dimension is here."

McGucket's brow raises upwards. "Hm?" When he catches sight of Lotl, his gaze relaxes some. "Oh, it's you." He walks through the curtains, finally placing the gun down. Stan walks through, a hand on his bandaged shoulder while another one is carrying something, wooden with a metal edge.

Mabel sits more upright. "Stan! You're alright!" She then winces heavily, a hand clasping to her side. "Ooh, ow, fuck..Everything still hurts, ow..." She leans back down, but is still grinning widely. "You ok?"

"I think I'm better than you, kid." He makes his way over to her, frowning a little at Lotl before gently ruffling her hair a little. "Got the shield, though. We did it, kid."

"Heh..Great. Glad to hear it." She grins up at him with a soft smile, before it fades into a thoughtful frown. "..Can I see it?"

He lifts it for her to see. "One of the dino babies had it."

The wood looked incredibly aged, flimsy, as if the material had been eaten away by the elements, while the metal rim was incredibly rusted. Mabel frowns at the sight, reaching up with a hand to run a finger down the surface. "How am I supposed to fix this?"

"We'll figure it out." Stan offers a small smile, lowering the shield. "You really need to rest, though."

"How can I rest when I still need to find the sword? It's out there, and I need to find it so I can stab that isosceles BASTARD through the eye with it!" She grits her teeth, before glancing at Lotl. "Er, no offense."

The triangle merely chuckles. "None taken. That guy could really use a good eye-stabbing."

"Stan has a point, though." Pacifica sits down on an unsteady stool. "We can't risk you getting yourself killed it there, and I have to go home anyways."

Mabel's brow furrows and she huffs, looking away, almost pouting. "..Fine..."

"Great, glad we got that settled. I really should be leaving." Pacifica sighs.

"Want me to give you a feather so you stay safe?" Lotl holds out a wing.

She raises a brow. "They're good luck charms?"

"No, but they'll prevent you from instantly dying in case someone tries to slit your throat."

"Oh, great." She laughs and rubs her face.

"C'mon, pick a feather, any feather." He ruffles the outstretched wing, smirking a bit. "They just grow back."

She grumbles and reaches out, then abruptly picks a feather and yanks it out.

"OW!" He hisses and yanks the wing back, which flaps nigh uncontrollably, recoiling from the pain. He gingerly prods around the trembling limb, and when he pulls his claws away, there's a slight stain of bluish-black around the tips. "Ah, fuck.." He looks up at her after a moment of wincing at the slight wound, before the wing gingerly folds. "..Ok. That'll be good for a few days, enough time for Mabel to heal."

Powers shifts in the back of the ramshackle room. "What should I do? Trigger is still...."

"He'll recover in time, don't worry. What you need to do is find a way to make contact with your buddies over in Washington. Well, the buddies that aren't secretly waiting for their god to rip the sky into pieces."

"And how do I do that when I don't know who has been corrupted?"

"Simple; they're not Republican." After a slight pause, Lotl lets out a slight laugh. "Hah! I'm just kidding; no self-respecting Bill would ever make deals with those pieces of shit." He floats over to Powers, pointing at his tie. "Any worshipper will have an upside-down triangle symbol on their ties, pockets, and other stuff. It's usually the tie though, so keep a lookout for that."

"I'll have to go back to Washington for that," he says. "I can't do that without telling my superiors."

"Huh? Oh, right." Lotl folds his arms for a moment, humming, then snaps his fingers. "Oh, what if you pretend to be bribed? Say that nothing happened, and when you get back to the outside, go and explain everything?"

"I would have to explain Trigger's disappearance." He's quiet for a moment. "I think I can do it."

"Perfect!" The triangle grins, before whirling around to face Mabel again, looking over her leg, eye narrowing.   
"Hmm..."

Mabel shifts slightly, biting back a wince. His eye narrows, and he places a hand atop the gauze. "..This may sting for a moment." Fire sprouts from his palm and engulfs the entirety of the wound.

A shout escapes her lips and she leaps forward to catch his hand. She could feel the flesh being stretched, being strained, forcibly melded back together. "AGGH!"

"It's ok! It's ok! I'm just healing it!" His other hand catches her by the wrist, eye going wide at her scream, wings flaring in surprise.

Stan shifts his grip on the shield to one hand, raising a hand to swat the demon aside. At the last moment, the fire goes out, and Lotl backs away, wings flapping furiously, glaring almost angrily at Stan. "For fuck's sake, I'm HELPING you! Look; cut the gauze! You'll see!"

"You'll pardon me if the only other Bill I've seen did the same thing to my brother for over thirty years," Stan growls.

He stares for a moment, then his eye narrows as his expression turns grim, glowering at the man. "...Tch." He turns away, wings tucking inward. "Fine, don't trust me, I don't give a shit. It's only gonna make it harder for you to stay alive."

A snap of the fingers and he's gone.

\--

The sound of tapping wakes him up. His eyes, weighted with fatigue, slowly blink open. Pinkish-red light filters through the window and he could just barely make out a phantom claw evaporating from the other side. He swallows, almost gagging at the dryness in his throat. He peels his face off of the floor, working his jaw slowly, the taste of iron staining his tongue. He glances down, noticing the bloodstains on the wood and grimacing slightly. "Ugh...What time is it?"

"Past six." The window blinks at him. "I would let you sleep a while longer, but that might actually do more harm than good."

"Mm..I feel like shit..." He rubs at his eyes, wiping away the bloody crust from his eyelashes, voice slightly hoarse. He pulls himself to his feet, head throbbing softly, vision swimming, and he clasps a hand to his mouth. "Ugh..."

"Hey, hey, take it slow. You still lost a lot of blood. Sit down."

Hot and cold flashes wash over his body, and a thin sheen of sweat breaks out over his forehead. He sways even more, nausea twisting his stomach and filling his mouth with spit. "Augh...Oh fuck..." He sinks back down, head pressed vainly against the edge of his bed, vainly hoping the coolness of the blankets can soothe his queasiness.

"Just hang tight for a moment. Your sister's on her way over, and Stan too."

"W-WHAT?!" His head snaps up almost immediately, and the urge to vomit is instantly forgotten. He practically lunges at the window, hands clawing at the curtains, eyes bloodshot as they stare desperately into Bill's own. "Is she ok? Is she hurt? Do you know where she went? Where did she come from?!"

Bill's eye narrows for a moment, and those phantom claws come back to cup his cheeks. "She's fine, kid. I'm more worried about you."

"But - but where was she? Why hasn't she gotten back yet?" Despite his words, he relaxes, and his legs nearly give before he can situate himself on the window seat. He takes a breath and blinks the dots out of his eyes.

"Sorry, kid, I can't tell, not from here. I'm sure whatever happened, it's not that bad. After all, I don't see any blood. Not on Mabel, at least."

"Stan? Was he hurt?"

"Looks like it; there's a sizable amount of bandaging on his right shoulder."

He swallows, leaning his head back. "They were attacked."

"It would seem so..Perhaps those agents did escape.." His eye suddenly flashes black. "Perhaps they wanted revenge. After all, they know it was you that tried to kill them."

"The agents...." He takes another breath, fists clenching among the pillows. "How long does it take for petrification to wear off?"

"Well, if Bessie had her eyes, the petrification would be permenant. But considering you used Eyeball Bats, I'd say it'll only last a day or two."

He exhales. It was possible then. He had crippled them, but one of them could have made it out. Made it out and gone after Mabel- "Dammit!" He kicks the wall across from him, the lack of coordination with his limbs only prodding the kindling fire. He had been so STUPID. He should have just killed them, killed them and be done with it, but NO. He had to go out there and show off and now they tried to hurt MABEL-

"Kid, kid, calm down! You'll hurt yourself!" Bill's claws ensnare his legs, his limbs, holding him down.

"Fuck!" He curls forward, the motion bringing a different kind of nausea to his body. His hair knots around his fingers as he desperately takes deep breaths. This wasn't... This wasn't like.... This wasn't like last time. No, a small part of him said. This is worse. "Fuck," he whispers.

Time seems to slow for him, come to a stand still, even. All he can process are his thoughts, swirling with dread and confusion and regret and fury, causing his vision to become speckled with blackness, fading in and out at fluctuating paces. It's only when hands gently cup his own, warm,concerned, does he come back. Mabel was sitting in front of him, eyes wide with concern. Her hair was a touch frazzled, and her clothes were torn and spattered with dirt, but other then that, there she was, alive, this time.

"..Dipper?"

Somehow, the sight brings pinpricks of tears to his eyes. He pulls her close to hug her as tight as he can manage. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Mabes, I'm sorry-"

She blinks in dim shock, before wrapping her arms around him just as tight, shuddering softly. "..It..It's ok, bro-bro. None of it is your fault...None."

His hands clench for but a moment, nails digging into her sweater before thinking better of it. "It - it is - it's my fault - and they - you got - hurt -again - I can't-"

She frowns again, pulling away just enough to look at him. "What? What are you talking about?"

He rubs his eyes, hiccuping. "I - I know you were attacked. Bill, he showed me, helped me see you and - and told me you were coming, but Stan was hurt and - and-" His throat closes up and he holds his head, rocking and trying to breath properly. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have - I shouldn't...."

Cold, icy fear shot through Mabel's veins as she heard those words, her blood chilling in her veins, heart stopping dead in her chest. Somehow Dipper obtained the power of sight from Bill, the evil one at least, and now, he could see her anywhere she went, at any point in time. And if she so much as slipped up even a fraction, everyone she knew, everyone that was in on her plan could be killed. Possibly even herself.

Her eyes strayed to her backpack for a singular moment, where she knew the broken, yet unrestored shield laid, and her hands momentarily clenched. Then, after a pause, she finally realizes Dipper's condition, and her hands reach up to cup his cheeks. "Bro-Bro, I need you to breathe. Breathe, ok? In..Out...In...Out...You hear me?"

He hurriedly nods, urging his lungs to follow her cadence. A hiccup interrupts him and he wheezes for a moment, then holds his breath for a dizzying moment and whistles it out between tightly clenched teeth. He drops his forehead onto her shoulder, taking another gulp of air.

"In...Out...In...Out.." She carefully hugs him close, rubbing his back softly as she tries to get himself to focus on breathing. She herself was starting to feel shaky with fright, but she forced it down, for his sake.

He swallows roughly, slowly allowing his body to relax. His eyes close for a moment, exhaustion seeming to hit him with a brick. "I... I need w-water."

She pulls away once she feels him calm down, blinking slightly before getting to her feet. "Oh, right! Water, yeah." She walks hurriedly out of the room, only to come back a minute or so later, her smile much more gentle and much more...uneasy. She hands it to him, sitting down next to him. "So, uh...Mind explaining why your face is covered in blood?"

He sips at the glass, relishing in the sweet elixir saving his mouth, and coughs lightly just to make sure he isn't imagining the relief. "I... I pushed too far. Bill was helping with a spell and I went ahead and... I think the power almost literally burnt me to a crisp." He laughs faintly. "Never doing that again."

Mabel couldn't help but let the scared concern wash over her face, swearing her heart skipped a beat at how easily Dipper laughed off the pain, of nearly getting himself killed in such a horrific manner, judging by the enormous streaks of dried blood under his mouth, nose, and eyes. She feels herself start to tremble, and the words spill out of her mouth without even realizing it. "..Dipper..I...Are you ok? What..What's been going on with you?" Of course she knew what was going on, but if she tried to say anything else she feared she might just break.

"I'm fine. I'm good, I just... I didn't know if you were alright and..." He looks down. "I can't lose you, Mabes."

Silence persisted for a second or two, and Mabel moved to hold his free hand, squeezing it softly. "..Listen...Maybe...Maybe we should leave. Try and go somewhere else. I don't think this place is working out."

He shakes his head before he can even open his mouth. "No, I can't. I... Bill and I.... I can't leave him, Mabes."

"...Dipper, are you serious?" She clutches his shoulders, just so she can get him to look at her. "Gideon tried killing you, multiple times. You nearly got eaten by a basilisk on the first day here, you've been talking to a..a THING in your head. You fucking blew your brains out trying to make some...supernatural magic. This...This place isn't good for you, Dipper. It's...I don't..." She tries her hardest to stop herself from speaking, trembling, fearing that if her mouth opened again, she'd let something slip.

"Just a little longer," he begs. "Just a little bit more and everything will be perfect. This was just a little hiccup. Please."

"...Dipper, please stop...Don't start hiding things from me..I..I don't know what to do..." Her eyes start to well with tears. "..I'm scared...I..I feel like I'm losing you..."

"You're not. I'm doing everything for you, so we can be safe."

"...How?" It was one question, dripping with fear, with uncertainty, and tears spilled down her cheeks.

He raises a shaky and still-uncoordinated hand to brush her tears away. "Bill has a plan to change the world. Make things better. I'm close to him. He'll make sure we're both safe."

She doesn't even move at the touch of his hand, all she can do is try not to break down crying as she felt her heart fracture. "...I don't understand..What do you mean change? W-What's gonna happen?"

"I..." He takes a breath. "I'm not sure how to explain it. He's gonna change the world. Make it better. Get rid of all the hate."

Mabel's whole body seemed frozen, immobile, unmoving, mind in shambles, stomach in knots. She was pale, trembling, and she couldn't move, or even speak. All she could do was stare, helpless, nigh hopeless, trapped with no way out. The window was reflecting red light into the room, casting everything in almost ghoulish shadows, curtains drawn back, and Mabel's breath hitched as she made eye contact with Bill's pupil. It was smirking softly, almost haughtily, sclera glowing a haunting gold.

"Please," Dipper whispers. "Just a little longer. It won't be long."

"..I..Ok.." She hears herself whispering without even realizing. "..We'll stay...B-But if anything happens before, if..if...you get hurt again..."

"I'll be careful," he promises, smiling.

"..Alright." She nods softly, sniffling as she lifts a hand to wipe her eyes. "..I think we should try going to sleep. We both had..a long day."

"Yeah...." He shifts a little. "Can I stay here? I don't think I can - walk. Sorry." He ducks his head, worrying about how worried she must be about him.

Mabel frowns for a moment, and her eyes wander to Bill's for a moment before she manages to stop herself, and she sighs, voice still a touch shaky. "..Yeah, ok.." She pulls away and starts to gather a pair of pajamas.

"Thanks, sis," Dipper whispers, sinking a little lower in the pillows. His eyelids sink without anymore hesitation.

Mabel's fists shake ever so slightly, and she had to bite back an urge to sob, an urge to yell, to scream, to cry until all her tears ran dry. She instead, after a long, tense moment, took a deep breath, climbed into bed, and shut her eyes, hoping that the darkness of sleep would quiet the fires stewing in her heart.

\--

He drains the last drops of rum from the bottle in his hands and tosses it aside, grabbing blindly for another. He sighs bitterly as the cap pops off and takes a swig, falling to his back to watch as the pine trees around him speared into the swiftly approaching night sky. "Welp. You did it, Rick. Finally - fi-finally pulled off the infernus-ex-machina. F-fucking k-kid, too." He laughs once. "Sanchez, breaking new - new bar-barriers everyday, even the lowest!"

His eyes, swimming with tears brought on by the burning of harsh booze, vaguely spot a triangle-shaped constellation, and he raises both hands to it, middle fingers raised. The bottle of rum he holds proceeds to splash over his shirt, emptying at least halfway. "A-An-And no thanks to you, y-you ffucking...god damn...s-scalene bastard...Fucking...Fucking taking my-my diamond away...My little..d-diamond...Y-You don' even a-appre-appreciate how much fucking-HIC!-paperwork that...required to..do.."

He lets his arms drop to the side, then rubs his face. "Fucking ang-angsty teens making me feel shit. Don't you - don't you have another scene to w-work on!?"

\--

The mountain air was cold, brutally so, seeming to sweep by in harsh gusts that were determined to sap any and all warmth from his bones, leaving behind nothing but a chill that burned worse then any fire could. He sat there, curled up tightly against the rocky walls of the cavern, idly listening to the roaring cacophony of the unruly manotaurs in the distance, watching with a dim stare as the air surrounding the base of the canyon below ripple and shimmer, the beasts fruitlessly trying to pummel their way through. It was pointless, that was certain, but he knew freedom for them would come soon. At least, if everything goes according to plan...

Lotl sighs softly to himself as he scoops another chunk of sticks into the fire in front of him, the orange flames blazing away and cooking the flesh of the rabbit he had managed to catch, it's skinned body being suspended over the heat with a stick. He hadn't exactly planned on making himself known to Mabel, or Pacifica, or any of them; the plan always was to provide assistance, yet stay out of sight no matter what, always keeping to the shadows so nothing, not even Li-..Bill, can see that he's there. But the moment he heard Rick's name, that whole idea crumbled away faster then burning paper.

Rick was... nearby. He was alive. Had been this entire time. Why hadn't he talked to him? Where has he been? The answers to those questions, he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to discover them at all, not if it meant what he began to suspect. His fists momentarily tighten around the stick he held, staring intently into the fiery light. "..Rick, please...For the sake of everything, of everyone...Don't be a fucking idiot..."

\--

The moon was up high, casting everything it could see in a warm, soft light. The wind was breezing by the trees, causing the branches to softly sway in a dance with no tempo, no sense. Some animals slept, safe and warm, while others crept out to feed and survive.

In the middle of this, Stanford Pines was walking leisurely toward his home, axe over his shoulder, a body being dragged behind him.   
"Congrats, kid. You're a bigger idiot than I took you for."


	25. Regrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to get intense. Shoutout to all those people blatantly hating Gideon in the comments; hope you're happy.

Gideon awakes with a headache fit to burst his eyes if he opens them too quickly. A small noise leaves his lips as he shifts his head, feeling a wooden surface under his forehead. And his hands. He shifts to push himself upright. Well, he tries. His eyes finally flutter open, revealing a scarred table. He takes a breath, tilting his head against his throbbing headache. His vision swims, but the ropes of plastic around his wrists are clear as day. Right....Ford.

He narrows his eyes in an effort to see past his messy vision, noting that his breath was billowing out in large puffs of steam, and that the side of his head felt..sticky. No doubt he got cut when Ford used that giant fucking axe to knock him out. Gritting his teeth, he tries pulling against his bonds, finally starting to regain his senses. "..Fucking come on out, old man! I know...I know you're there, laughing like...this is the funniest damn thing in the world! Well it ain't! Qu-Quit playing and show your wrinkly ass!"

His words echo and he grits his teeth harder. Obviously whatever place he had been brought to is big, cavernous, even, but definitely not the ones the cult frequented. He tries to peer through the dark, but can't make out anything except shadows. He yanks at his bonds again, just to get a feel for how they were structured, noticing that they seemed to be detachable. A spark of confusion crosses his gaze, but just before he can ponder his forming train of thought, the lights above flare on, and he yelps at the sudden illumination, eyes burning and his headache amplifying.

"Good to see you're awake, Gideon." A hand claps him on the back. "How do you like your accommodations?"

The boy's body instantly froze under the touch, blood chilling to ice in his veins, but despite the fear that was making his heart pound like a drum, his lips curled into a bitter smirk. "It's just fine, old man. Could do without the axe wound though, or was that done on purpose?"

The hand clenches on his shoulder. "You can imagine how angry I was looking for someone committing treason." Ford steps forward, hands neatly folded behind his back. "Have you gotten the chance to look around yet?"

Gideon winces slightly at the way his shoulder was squeezed, but as he watches Ford finally walk around to his field of vision, he finally notices it. A huge, monolithic contraption, no less then 10 feet away from him, broken and disheveled. Pieces of the hull were missing, exposing the inner workings of the circuitry, and it seemed that there were cables holding the contraption in the air, judging by the mass amounts of wiring strewn all about the gravel-ridden floor. Despite it's broken exterior, the metal looked heavily polished, untouched by rust or even moss, and as Gideon stared at it, he could vaguely make out weird symbols lining the edge of a massive hole punched right through the middle. "..What..What is that?"

"This?" Ford smiles almost nostalgically, looking out on the machine. "Well, this is the science that works where magic fails." He steps toward it, then shakes his head and sighs. "If I had my way, the Day would have come thirty years ago. But my colleagues, of course, had different ideas."

The boy stares at him, confusion plain on his face, brow furrowing. "..But the Day is supposed to brought about by the zodiac. By the 10 chosen people coming together and willing Bill into this world. Th-That's what you said to me. I-It's what you said to everyone. What does that have to do with the Day?"

"You're not wrong." He turns to him. "The zodiac CAN bring Bill into the world. I can assure you that your actions haven't been in vain. But the zodiac isn't the only thing that can bring Bill here. Which is why your transgressions have the opportunity to be forgiven."

Those words cause Gideon to go quiet, his hands clenching into hard fists. His mind was a whirlwind of jumbled, frantic thoughts, split into two, and the mental strain was causing his body to tremble. One part of himself was crying out, begging to accept the chance to be forgiven in the Eye's glorious gaze, to survive and be given a chance to live an eternal life, free of age and death and the withering decay of his own body. The other part was bitter, loathing, disgusted by the way his own brain had been beaten into a state of such pathetic submission that even when he knows for a fact he'll die, it's still trying to convince itself that life is still possible. Both sides had voices, and both of them were screaming.

"...Don't waste your breath; I know you plan to kill me sooner or later. I..I know your words of forgiveness are nothing but lies at this point..." He's quivering but he still stares right into Ford's eyes, sneering. "It's always been lies. I know that now."

"I'm not lying to you, Gideon." He leans on the opposite side of the table. "I never have."

The boy feels a bolt of panic, deep in his gut, and he leans back as much as he can, teeth gritted. "N-No...That's not true. It was all lies. You were throwing a blindfold over my eyes so you could force me to do your sick bidding. All that talk about salvation, about the Eye, about Bill, forgiving me. It's not true! It never was!" Despite his words, he's shaking, face pale. He swore he could see the faintest hints of yellow in Ford's lenses.

"Salvation is possible for everyone, so long as the Eye holds them in good grace." Ford smirks at the boy's tremors. "We've been working with you, Gideon, for years. We've given you a second chance already. Three, actually." He reaches into his jacket and slides three vials of murky maroon onto the table. They roll toward Gideon, settling between his bound arms. Ford, lips pressed together, let's his smirk sour slightly. "And you decided to help government agents."

Gideon's eyes shrink the moment he catches sight of the vials, the dark red sloshing around inside them glinting in the light morbidly, like the glittering eyes of a shark, ready to bite down on it's prey. As they roll to a stop between his arms, the boy's heart is pounding even harder, shaking as all color drains from his face. Memories, dark and fragmented, murky, as if looking through a dirty lens, flitted through his head, a mad torrent of screams and bones crunching, and it takes all he has to shut his eyes, to blot out the vile images. His voice was quiet, shaky. "..I...You're wrong. Y-You don't want to give me another chance. You don't want to forgive me. I'm not safe with you...with them. I never was; not...not when you made me do that. I was always just a pawn for you to toy with, to jerk around and feed lies to so I would never see what this place really is. It's a pit of hell that's filled with the blood of those that are doomed to die."

Ford straightens, sighing. "If that's what you think. I'll be back."

Gideon only manages to stop trembling when he hears the sound of what must be a door opening and shutting before he slumps, his head nearly touching the vials. He finally opens his eyes to stare at them, tears starting to well up, but he forces them down with a few deep breaths. There is no way he will allow Ford to see him crying, not now, not when he's captured like this. "..Fuck.."

He looks upward, back at the strange machine, eyes widening as a horrid feeling pulses through his body. His eyes burn like someone just shoved burning coals into them, and crimson momentarily fills his vision. He..He could feel it. Feel him. So close, so near, as if Gideon could reach out and touch him, but there was nothing there, just the dead shell of some contraption, silent and yet screaming with the demon's energy.

He takes a breath, slowly letting it gust out. There had to be some way out of this place, some way to loosen his bonds. His eyes meet with the machinery. He couldn't try anything with Bill watching.

\--

Dipper's eyes flew open the moment he heard something smack against the glass of the window, head jerking upwards. Sleep never came easy, and when it did, it was notoriously easy to wake him up, a sort of defense mechanism he built up over the years. He looks around with wide eyes, though he relaxes a bit at seeing Mabel, fast asleep in her bed. The sound comes again and he jumps, turning. He squints through the glass, trying to see through the dark outside.

He can just barely see a faint outline of Ford, waving a hand wildly and smiling. Dipper tilts his head and hesitantly waves back at him. The old man points up at him, then over at his house. He tries to look over at the house, then glances at Mabel. After a moment, he nods at Ford and slides his feet onto the ground. He had to catch himself as he stood, still feeling a bit weak from harnessing Bill's powers.

He grabs his shoes and slips them on, wincing a little upon realizing his clothes were darkened with blood stains, crusted over in a rather gross fashion. "Ugh.." He considers changing before just sighing and shakily walking out the door.

\--

The moment the door closes, Mabel sits up in her bed, eyes slightly wide. She glances over at Squeaky in his tank, heart thudding a bit in her chest. He swims to the surface and sticks out his tongue, and she sighs. "Yeah. Let's get to work."

\--

Dipper slowly hobbles toward Ford, rubbing his arms against the slight chill of the night. "What's going on?"

The old man chuckles a bit, grinning as he walks toward his house. "Well, I was searching through the rest of the UFO for any sign of the agents, just to be safe, when i happened to stumble across someone, or rather, he stumbled across me. Someone we haven't heard head nor tail of since your little hospital visit." He glances over his shoulder as he steps onto the porch, the dim candle light illuminating his face, causing the faint grin on his face to appear sickly, twisted.

Dipper stops with a foot on the first step. "You found Gideon? What was he doing down there?"

"Helping the agents, no doubt. However, what my question is, is how did he even know they were down there?" He opens the door, seeming to pause. "..There was another thing too; I sensed him because of he was, for lack of a better term, covered in magical energy. Bill's energy."

"Bill's energy?" He frowns. "Bill doesn't allow anyone to just use his magic. At the very least, he'd know about it, right?"

"Exactly, which is my current theory as to why Gideon fled to the UFO; he knew Bill would be able to sense his magic being used, so he fled, trying to hide and avoid being hunted down." Ford finally walks into the house, heading toward the livingroom. "Guess it's pretty much dumb luck that I caught him."

"Maybe." Dipper follows him in. "Has Bill told you anything? I know he was with me yesterday...." He pauses, then curses. "Fuck. I used his powers yesterday. If that happened at the same time as Gideon, would he have noticed?"

Ford blinks as he turns his head, looking a tad shocked. "..I guess that explains the bloodstains on your clothes. What were you doing with Bill's power, exactly?"

"He said he couldn't see Mabel, so I tried scrying for her." He looks down, scuffing his shoe on the floor.

Ford stares for a few moments, before sighing. "And you went too far. You could've killed yourself. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. He wouldn't stop saying that over and over again. But Mabel wasn't answering her radio. She only does that when she's in trouble."

"...You're remarkably casual about the fact you nearly died, Dipper. I know it's ironic for me to say this, but...That doesn't sound healthy."

He shifts. "How should I act? I tried to find my sister so I could save her. I don't see how that's bad."

Ford stares for a moment before sighing, walking over to a table in the kitchen and pulling up a chair. "Ok, sure, you wanted to make sure Mabel was ok. But you nearly died, nearly killed yourself without even realizing it. Do you feel any remorse for that? Any regret?"

"No." He crosses his arms.

He stares again, intensely, almost. "..Ok. What if you did die when performing the spell? Would you regret that? Leaving your sister all alone?"

"I... Yeah. But that didn't happen."

"Hmm...I see..." He sighs and lifts his glasses momentarily to rub at his eyes. "..Do you regret hurting Gideon, Dipper? Putting him in the hospital?"

"I..." He frowns, hesitant with this answer. "...No."

"Be honest with me, please. Tell me, do you regret it? Would you do it again if given the chance? Would you go further? Would you kill him?"

He almost sneers at the line of questioning, crossing his arms. "The only thing I regret is not killing him when I had the chance."

There was a moment of almost stunned silence, then Ford lets out a sigh. "..And your parents?"

His jaw clenches. "They weren't good parents."   
  
"Would you kill them? Even if they apologized? Even if they promised to be better? And what about your bullies? They're nothing more then kids, kids that are your age no less. Would you kill them too?"

"If Bill wanted me to."

"But would YOU want to? Or does it simply not matter what you want?"

He lowers his head, jaw clenching. The thoughts going through his head... Mabel told him to not.... He exhales. "Where's Gideon, Ford?"

The man raises an eyebrow, but takes the hint and stands up again. "He's down in the basement, no doubt bleeding from his eyes thanks to Bill being so 'close', in a sense." He walks near the fridge, opening it. "Want a soda?"

"Sure, thanks." He accepts a can and moves to pop open the lid. He hums, then lowers the can. "I don't remember seeing any way into a basement."

Ford smirks at him a bit, before reaching over to a stuffed jackalope head on the wall, and grabs the nearest antler, cranking it downward. The TV shelf suddenly slides to the side, showing off a pair of elevator doors.

Dipper slaps a hand to his forehead. "Hidden doors. Classic."

"I couldn't help myself." Ford grins sheepishly as he walks toward the elevator, pressing a button to make the doors open. "I believe Rick already told you about the portal?"

"Yeah. He said a little bit about it." He walks passed him and leans against the back of the elevator.

"Well, I hope you're pleasantly surprised." Ford presses a button and the door closes as the elevator descends. "The portal was actually my first attempt at bringing Bill into this world. It was designed to punch a hole in time and space, opening a gateway between Bill's dimension and this one. It was originally meant to help aid my research in supernatural anomalies, due to my theory of a dimension of weirdness that was somehow bleeding into ours. Bill found me then, on the brink of giving up after my studies hit a roadblock, and....Well, I couldn't resist in the end."

Dipper grins softly. "I'm glad you accepted his offer."

"Heh. I almost didn't, believe it or not; Rick kept warning me about Bill's motives, his intent to turn this dimension into nothing more but a twisted amalgamation of broken worlds. It was..terrifying at first, but somehow, Bill got me to accept it."

A tone rings and the doors slide open. "So you decided to make the... portal. Oh my god." His eyes widen as he steps out, gaping at the wrecked and warped metal in front of him. He takes in a breath and it almost - he can FEEL Bill, as if he was physically next to him or in front of him or everywhere, and the radiant power is intoxicating. He wets his lips, passing Gideon without saying anything.

Ford merely watches with a soft smile, chuckling to himself. The air around Dipper seems to tremble and shiver like a glass pane before it's about to fall, as if Bill's presence was trying it's damnedest to reach out and touch him. Despite the metal core of the machine remaining desolate, dead, it almost seemed to hum, practically purr, as the boy got closer. He reaches out, shivering as a phantom feeling passes over his fingers. His other hand rests on top of a fallen fragment of metal. "It won't be long. I promise."

There was a pause before there was a sense of..something wrapping around him, hugging his body tightly, a deep purr, a rumble like that of falling mountains trembling through his bones. Just in the very back of his mind, he could see Bill, sense him, the faintest outline of the demon's full self, and...the mass, the volume, the sheer almost unending size was beyond comprehension.

A smile graces his lips and he leans into the gentle weight behind him. "Beautiful."

Ford finally clears his throat, chuckling a bit. "Don't get too lost now. After all, we still need to ask Gideon here some questions."

"Guh. I thought you had forgotten about me." The kid raises his head, cheeks stained with streaks of red. "I'm not talking, old man."

Dipper frowns, giving the semi-solid air a squeeze before walking toward Gideon. "Why not?"

Gideon feels a distinct apprehension rush through his veins at the sight of his once-attacker walking closer, but he manages to keep still, eyes narrowing. "Because I'm not on your side. Because I'll be killed regardless if I fess up or not. Because I hate both of you. Should I keep going?"

"Mm. No. Why were you in the woods?" Dipper fiddles with his soda, leaning on the table across from Gideon.

"Sniffing the flowers and searching for gold." The response was dripping with sarcasm.

His fingers stop messing with the soda tab, and his eyes pierce into Gideon's. "I don't appreciate liars."

Gideon feels his heart jump, and it takes him a second to recover. His eyes narrow back, despite the memories threatening to resurface. "..And why should I bother telling you anything, boy?"

He straightens. "Why shouldn't I just kill you where you stand?"

Gideon's face turns into a disgusted sneer. "Because I know you'll just kill me regardless, sooner or later. I know my death, I've seen it, and I know that no matter what I do, I'll be dead." After he says this, his face pales ever so slightly, realizing his mistake.

Dipper's lips slowly curl into a grin. "That's interesting. You must know who kills you then. Who is it? I hope it's me."

"..I don't see why I should tell you."

"Because I think you know you make it out of here. You know where you are when it happens, who you're with, what's going on in the moments leading up to it. You know what side you're on in the end, and it terrifies you."

All of the bravado is gone from Gideon's face now, and he merely sits there, speechless. Ford smirks ever so slightly, but says nothing, the lens of his glasses reflecting the light of the room, obscuring his eyes.

"So what were you doing in the forest? How did you know about the agents?"

"..I..I'm still not telling you." His gaze hardens back up, but not as much.

"Tch." He rounds the table and stands next to him, then turns to lean back against the metal edge. His fingers fiddle with his soda tab again, letting it go and slap against the top without opening it. "Why not? It's not like you have anything to protect."

Gideon's head turns to follow him, and his eyes narrow. "..I have my dignity; I'm not gonna just roll over and tell you everything I know just because you want me to."

"Of course not." He grins at him, and it's the same naive, friendly grin he had given Ford and Stan his first day in Gravity Falls. "You'll be telling us everything because YOU want to." His soda can pops open.

The bound child's heart skips a beat, and his eyes widen. "Wha-?"

Just before he can get the words out, pain suddenly explodes across Gideon's vision in the form of a white flash, his ears ringing, his face reeling with pain. It takes him a moment to realize the funny liquid in his mouth is blood as his vision comes back, able to see Ford idly shaking his hand, grumbling to himself. "I'm getting too old for this."

Dipper grins. "I'm not." His fist flies into Gideon's stomach.

Gideon lets out a strangled cry as he feels the wind get knocked right of him, a few speckles of blood flying out of his mouth and landing on the boy's face. He slumps to the table, coughing and shaking as he fights to breathe.

The kid giggles. "Wow. I'm not THAT strong, am I?"

Ford leans on the table, arms crossed but a hint of a smile on his face. "What were you doing down there,Gideon? How did you find out about the agents?"

It takes a few moments, but the boy manages to lift his head, the right side of his lip dribbling with blood, cheek darkened in a huge bruise. "..Fuck you."

Dipper grips his shoulder and slams his fist into him again. "Wanna run that by us again?"

Gideon doubles over, wheezing, but turns his head to glare up at the other boy with a look of hatred. "..F..Fuck..You!"

His hand snatches his hair and slams his forehead into the table. "Why did you go to the UFO!?"

"GO TO HELL!" Gideon screams as best he can, vision blurring from the blows to the head.

Dipper clenches his fists, but takes a breath. "Ford, do you have a knife?"

"Right here." He flicks his hand and out comes a switchblade, seemingly out of thin air. Gideon's eyes widen, but his teeth grit.

Dipper leans over and takes it from him. "Thanks. Gideon, where should I start? Face? Arms?"

"Why don't you try your own damn neck? I suggest the jugular vein, makes things go quicker." Gideon sneers, defiance in his gaze.

Dipper snickers, flipping the switchblade open and leaning close to him. The tip of the blade tickles Gideon's Adam's apple. "Now, I've only ever glanced at medical journals once or twice in my life, but right about here is your voice box. If you go over to the left side of your throat..." He carefully trails the blade over his throat, steadily drawing a thin, red line across his skin. He stops and looks Gideon in the eyes. "There is your jugular. I can almost feel your pulse on the end of this thing. Heheh. It's getting faster."

Gideon's body was as tense as a brick, muscles in his neck fluttering and shifting as he tried to not tremble, shifting as far back from the knife as his bonds would allow. He was silent, not daring to speak, eyes staring at the glinting edge of the knife.

"Why did you go to the UFO, Gideon?" Dipper's voice is a mere whisper, his body relaxed as he leans back against the table.

"..I..I ain't telling you..." He stares right back, teeth gritted, blood leaking down ever so slightly from his throat.

"Why not? What are you hiding?"

"..I..F-Fuck you."

"Ooh, careful. My hand might slip if you say something so shocking."

Ford grins, grabbing the back of Gideon's head, slowly forcing it to move forward, the knife digging ever so slightly deeper. "Tell us, Gideon.."

The boy trembled, shaking as he feels more blood leak down and pool into his collarbone. "..I.."

"I can't keep my hand still forever," Dipper warns. "Better start soon."

"I..I had to hide, ok? I had to hide after we did the spell because I knew you'd look for me!"

Dipper frowns, opens his mouth, and then gapes, knife withdrawing slightly. "After 'we' did the spell?"

Gideon pales horribly, eyes shrinking in horror. The room seems to tremor ever so slightly as a rumble, a growl that was enough to rattle the stars itself, echoes through the machine.

The growl almost infects Dipper's posture, the look in his eyes near feral before he leaps forward and catches Gideon's shoulder, hand holding the knife centimeters from his face, a slight tremors shaking the blade. "WHO!? Who are you working with!?"

"I-I-..N-No one! I was alone! I swear! I didn't mean to say that!" Gideon was shaking in his bonds, eyes wide with fear.

Bill's voice, numerous, in so many different tones and pitches, seeming to speak numerous languages at once, circles around Dipper's body like a cobra about to constrict. They all kept repeating the same word. "Liar, liar, liar, liar..."

"You're - you're lying! Who told you about the agents!? Who were you with!?" He digs the knife into his cheek, below his right eye.

Gideon only hisses through his teeth, struggling not to scream as blood pours down his cheek, head thrashing left to right in an attempt to get away from the blade's painful slice.

"TELL ME WHO!" Dipper and Ford hold him tighter.

"NO!!!"

He growls and drags the blade down his cheek. Maroon wells along the line. Gideon's body moves out of reflex, and his leg lashes out, managing to get Dipper in the stomach, knocking him away and forcing the knife to fall. Ford immediately punches him in the face, sending a few teeth flying.

Dipper staggers to his feet, swaying slightly as he holds his stomach. "Little fucker-" He snatches the knife from the ground and advances, forcing his hand flat and pressing the knife tip to his index finger's first knuckle. "Who?"

"Dipper, wait." Ford's hand grabs the boy's wrist. "I have plans for him, plans that require his fingers." He glances over at Gideon, who's staring at them warily, blood pouring down his cheek and chin.

Dipper stares, a mixture of annoyance and confusion on his face before he sighs and pulls back, crossing his arms. "Can I at least put some bamboo shoots up his fingernails?"

Ford blinks, staring in slight shock, eyebrows raising. "..D..Do you have those?"

"Of course I do." He raises a brow in return.

"..Why?"

"Why not?"

"..I can think of many reasons why one wouldn't have bamboo shoots in their pockets." Ford sighs as he pinches his nose. "..Go ahead."

He reaches into one of his velcro pockets and pulls out a small, hollowed out bamboo shoot. He scrapes the knife along it until a scrap curls off. "Bamboo was all over the place where Mabel and I lived. We used to pick up broken ones and pretend we were knights and swordfight." He grins at the memory.

The old man watches, smiling softly. "Is that so? Must've been fun." Even Bill's presence seems to purr with amusement, the air rumbling softly.

He cuts another strip, hopping up to sit on the table next to Gideon's right hand. "Yeah. Suffice it to say, I kept some of it before we left."

"Heh. Well, be sure not to damage the fingers too much." Ford winks, his grin going wider.

Gideon was frantically trying to pull his hands away, his right eye bruised, swelled close, while a few of his teeth are missing. His cheek looks practically split open. "WAIT, WAIT!!"

Dipper flattens one of his hands and aligns a strip of bamboo. "Do you want to tell us who you're working with?"

"I..I..L-Listen, ok? They weren't looking for the agents. S-Someone else told me to go to the UFO. Leave them out of this."

"Who was it? Did you know them? Did it sound like a guy or a girl?" He prods his bamboo piece under the nail of Gideon's ring finger.

The bound child flinches, visibly trembling. "I-It was this weird man! He had, uh, blue hair and he kept rambling about random stuff."

"Man," he murmurs, frowning. "He was an adult?"

"Y-Yeah. He gave me a letter. It was signed..It was signed 'Rick Sanchez.'"

His joints lock. "Rick..." He clenches his jaw. "Why would Rick be helping him?"

Ford's brow furrows, lifting a hand to his chin. "Hmm..I'm not sure. Then again, Ricks are known to be quite unpredictable. I'm sure this may be some type of double-crossing situation."

"Double-crossing us or double-crossing him?"

"He's double-crossing us. He said he wanted to join, remember?"

"Right." He exhales leaning back on his hands. "Why did he come here then? He told me a bunch of stuff about Bill and then left. He could've done a lot worse if he wanted."

"That I don't know.." The old man grits his teeth slightly. "Dammit. We may have to catch him, if my first plan doesn't work out."

Dipper glances at the broken remnants of the portal. "Ford, can we talk for a moment? Alone?"

Ford blinks over at him, then back at Gideon, before sighing and walking toward the door. "Very well."

Dipper hops back to the ground, scurrying after him. He lowers his voice despite the distance between them and Gideon. "Is there any way to find Rick? I know he used his portal gun to leave, but there has to be a way to find out where he is."

Ford blinks at that, before his brow furrows. "..I..I'm not sure. The last time Rick sabotaged anything, I had let him go on the promise that he wouldn't come back. Actively looking for him, for a Rick, is a feat that I'm not even sure I can do."

"There's no kind of technology that can track him?"

"None that exists on this planet, that's for sure. And, well, it's not like I have any devices allowing me to contact any life out in space either."

"Isn't Bill kinda out there? Like, maybe not our space, but another dimensions?"

Ford hums, lifting a hand to adjust his glasses. "Well, technically yes and no. The place he's in, the Nightmare Realm, is sort of a..." His fingers snap rapidly, wracking his brain to try and find the right term. "..a dimension between dimensions. It's shapeless, it lacks form, lacks any form of law, and it spreads throughout the Multiverse like a plague, infecting entire universes and breaking them down to the point where they're absorbed entirely into its mass. But Bill can't escape that place, no matter what he tries, which means he has no way of fully interacting with the worlds outside, unless through dreams. So, yes, he's out in other worlds, technically, but he can't physically step in and track Rick down. There are his followers, which are vast beyond comprehension, but there'd be no chance of them catching Rick; he's the most dangerous man in the universe for a good reason."

"But Bill can look into those dimensions, right?" He bites his lip. "Is there maybe a way to amplify some of his power to find him? I'm guessing we'd need something he owned for that to work..."

Ford's brow furrows, and he seems to think it over. "..I don't think that's possible, Dipper. Bill's powers can only amplify when he's broken into another reality, when he's absorbed it into his own domain. And even if we could, there'd be no physical objects that Bill himself has used or touched."

"Oh! Wait!" He grabs Ford's jacket. "The portal. We don't need Rick. Maybe Bill's powers could be used with a part of the portal to find the - the-"

He blinks at the sudden grab, before he grins, reaching a hand down to ruffle Dipper's hair. "That's precisely what I was thinking. And it's why we need Gideon."

He grins sheepishly, releasing his jacket. "That makes sense." He blinks. "Wait. Why can't I do it?"

"Because there's no way Bill's going to allow you to harness his magic again after nearly dying so recklessly. And neither am I, for that matter." He crosses his arms, giving Dipper a pointed glare. The portal's circuitry rumbles in agreement.

He sighs and pouts a little. "Fine. Whatever. But we should be ready for if Gideon tries anything."

"Oh, he won't; not when Bill's magic is running through his system." He winks. "See, the thing is, the people of the zodiac are the only ones who can harness Bill's energy, due to the fact that they're fated to bring him into this world in the future. I can't use this technique on any of the townspeople; they'd die in seconds, reduced to nothing but a bubbling pile of melting organs. And there's no way I'd risk myself, and especially not you. So, why not use the little traitor?" He smirks, chuckling. "But even then, he's got to be veeery careful; the energy he'll be using, while the equivalent of a drop of water in an entire ocean, will still be quite...volatile. Just one wrong twitch of a finger or abstract slip of the mind, and...Well, let's say the effects on the human body aren't pretty."

"Hm." He looks back at Gideon. "What time is it?"

Ford rolls back his sleeve to check his watch. "...2:42."

"Another hour working with him, maybe. I should be back before Mabel or Stan wake up."

"Right, I'll be on the lookout for that."

"Yeah, thanks." He shifts, then walks back to the table. He picks up his soda and sips at it as Gideon stops straining with his bonds. "Ford, does he need both of his hands or just his dominant one?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. I suppose, in theory, he'd be able to harness it better with his dominant..."

"I'll start with his left hand then." He retrieves his bamboo and moves to Gideon's left side. "Now, where are those agents?"

\--

Mabel sighs softly, sitting back and lifting a hand to wipe the sweat off her brow; the smell of burning glue always managed to make her a tad nauseous. She angles the light of the desk lamp to look over her work, eyes narrowing in order to spot any kind of imperfection. She had decided to try and fix the wooden part of the shield for now, knowing it would be impossible for her to fix the thin, fractured metallic outline, though she wasn't sure if her bedazzling skills would be enough to prevent the damn thing from falling to pieces if she ever tried to use it. It was aggravating, to say the least, and she puts the glue gun down to take a sip from a can of soda, sighing. She had the window opened up all the way, to prevent that stupid triangle from seeing what she was doing, as well as allowing the cool night air to come in and wash away the smell of singed wood and burning glue. Or maybe that was just her in need of a bath, who knew?

She exhales heavily as she swallows the drink, relishing the momentary buzz of sugar and caffeine. Most of the cracks in the shield are sealed. She had considered routing around the house for any kind of modeling putty, but the risk didn't seem worth it just yet. She could be working on this thing for days before any kind of tip surfaced regarding the sword. Not to mention she still needs to check with Pacifica tomorrow; it hadn't sounded like her parents would be happy about her being late to whatever meeting they were having.

She frowns slightly in worry, humming quietly to herself as she remembered there was also Gideon to consider; he was still trapped underneath the lake, after all, probably still hogtied. There'd be no way to get him out without alerting Bill or Ford or anyone else that could be looking for him right now. It was honestly rather sad. Maybe she would be able to sneak out sometime tomorrow before heading out to find Pacifica.

She blinks upon feeling something wet brush against her leg, and looks down to see Squeaky nuzzling her ankle, looking up at her with a dopey expression only a salamander could pull off. A giggle passes her lips and she leans down to pick him up. "How'd you get out of your tank without me noticing? Huh? I should start calling you Houdini."

Squeaky flicks out his tongue in response, crawling up her arm and snuggling into her shoulder. He seems to look down at the shield for a moment, head tilting slightly.

"Oh, yeah, this ol' thing." She gently picks it up, tilting it this way and that. "Trying to fix it, but I don't know if I have anything that can really do it."

His head tilts again, before he lifts himself up, pressing a paw to her cheek, frills widening. His eyes slowly start to turn white, glowing softly, and Mabel's body seizes up, an unknown energy starting to flow through it. It was slow, calm, cold like that of a running river, seeping through every vein and molecule, paralyzing, yet soothing. The shield begins to glow in tune with the shining of Squeaky's eyes, trembling in the girl's hands as the bedazzle gems start to collapse, to bleed into each other until the wooden surface is a shimmering vortex of swirling colors, sparkling like that of a glittering nebula.

The tide swirls to a halt, tiny ripples playing across the surface. The metal seems to have refastened itself, the wood all but replaced by the cosmos twinkling back at her. Her hands shake slightly, a few beads of sweat slipping down her temples. She swallows, wetting her lips-Squeaky jumps off her shoulder and into the rainbow lake between her hands. Mabel gasps as the salamander's tiny body is swallowed up by the colors, disappearing entirely, leaving her to gape and stare. "..S-..Squeaky? Squeaky?" She lifts the shield up to herself, shaking it. "Squeaky, you get out of there right now!"

The axolotl's head pops out of the pool of stars, tongue poking out and head tilting. Then it dives back down.

Mabel's eyes narrow, and she tries to dig her arm down into the cyclone of colors, hand grasping at what felt like nothing but air. She grits her teeth, grunting as she blindly flails. "Argh, where are you? You're going to be in so much trouble, mister! Stop using weird god magic against me!"

She suddenly feels a head push up against her hand, forcefully trying to nudge it out of the vortex. Squeaky blows a raspberry, almost seeming to glare up at her before dipping back down. The swirling color starts to harden back up, slowly.

She blinks, then leaps forward and tries to dive back into the shield. "Squeaky, hurry and get out of there!"

The shield suddenly flares bright red, as if the weapon itself was growing angry. The magic from before seeps up her arms, and a single word echoes in her head: "No."

She gasps, hands suddenly letting go of the shield, shaking in front of her. She takes deep breaths, trying to will her lungs to obey her wishes. The weapon slowly dims, and the gems harden back into place, a picture of an axolotl forming within the design. It was facing her, tongue poking out, frills spread wide, almost as if it was smiling.

She gingerly picks up the shield. "Squeaky...."

The words echo again, softer this time. "Needs..power to keep..form. Needs..link to Axolotl.."

Her eyes sting. "What if you... What if it's too much?"

There was a slight pause. "..Then that's..my fate. Will do anything...to protect..."

She bites her lip. "I don't know what else to do, Squeaky."

Several squeaks ring out through the darkness, soft, yet alert, and dim pink light provides illumination. Several axolotls are surrounding the closed journal on Dipper's bed, frills glowing, pawing at the cover, trying to flip it over.

Mabel slowly stands from the desk, holding the shield to her chest as she walks toward them. "The journal...?" She bites her lip, then lifts the heavy top.

The group of lizards hum in unison, and the book flies open the moment she lifts the cover, the pages flying by rapidly. They finally settle on one particular page, their paws pinning it in place, heads turning up to look at her, squeaking.

She leans forward, glancing it over. "Unicorn hair? What about it?"

"Can...block..Bill's power...Prevent it from...hurting you..."

"A safeguard..." She looks at the shield - at Squeaky - and bites her lip. "Like a shield."

"Yes...Need..all the protection...you can get."

She's silent for a moment, then looks over the page again. Somewhere in the forest, guarded by mystical creatures asking for a test of pure heart.... "Okay. I'll do it."

"Thank you..Rest...for now..."

"Yeah... Yeah, good idea."

\--

Pacifica rolled to one side, then the other, only to huff to herself as she lifted her hands to rub over her eyes, a mantra of curses being shouted within the confines of her head. Too many things had happened in the last few days and it seemed that it was finally taking its toll this night; she just couldn't go to sleep. No matter how many times she shut her eyes or tried to empty her mind, it all kept going back to Mabel, or the mines, or the town, how she could feel their eyes on her back, watching, staring, waiting for their precious God to give the word, and to slay her where she stood. She hates them all. There are no other words for it. They just want to laze around and pray to some triangle in hopes of his entrance into the world without a thought to what might happen after. They were all intolerant toward anyone of differing views, but Bill had assured the Northwests would be spared  
their wrath. Kinda like how Gideon used to be before Dipper beat the living daylights out of him.

Wait. Gideon.

She bolted upright, eyes wide as shock zips down her spine, blood chilling in her veins. Shit. They left him in the cave.

She glances over at her clock, paling at the bright red numbers that stared back at her: 2:45. He's been down there for hours, and she didn't even realize it until now! She had been too busy making sure those fucking agents didn't get their asses killed, trying to go and contact their bosses to warn them of what was going on.  
She pushes a hand through her hair. Should she go now? Her parents likely wouldn't notice, but getting back in would be hell. God, they had even left him tied up. Maybe he got out of them? Knowing him, anything was possible.

She glances over at the window, only to grimace at the sight of metal bars lining the frame, looking too thick for her to break, and too narrow to squeeze through; Preston must've had those installed while she was gone. She glances over at the door, eyes narrowing. Surely there would probably be some kind of rune or circle that would act as an alarm if she went through there...But, perhaps, she could alter them.

She turns to her bedside table, pulling the drawer open, frowning as she starts to dig through the contents within. She tosses several items over her shoulder, such as a notebook, a red gemstone, 3 necklaces, before finally smirking, pulling out what she had been searching for: a pair of pristinely white golfer gloves.  
She relaxes slightly, letting out a small sigh. It was almost a surprise that her parents hadn't gone through her things to find any and all of her gloves. She slips them on and flexes her fingers, instinctively turning toward her personal set of golf clubs.

She pauses after a second, realizing what she was about to do, and sighs; it had been a long day. Turning back toward the door, she carefully jiggles the knob, finding that, with no real shock, it was locked tight, making her roll her eyes. She then presses her hands to the door, eyes closing as she concentrated, feeling, searching for any sigils that were rigged around the outside doorway.  
She could definitely feel one - small, near the handle - but she could tell there was another one somewhere else. A moment more of searching reveals one on the floor directly in front of the door.

She smirks again, amused at how her father seemed to think she was a clueless idiot. How wrong was he. She closes her eyes again, and sends out a simple wave of energy, enough to distort the composition of the runes, just enough to render them useless. Her parents were always terrible at magic, and nearly forbade her to use it herself. Something about it's "impurities" or some nonsense. Whatever. She slides the door open and tiptoes into the hall.

Just as she does so, there was the vague sound of crackling, like electricity, coming from what sounded like a few rooms away. The burp that filled the air not soon after wasn't exactly subtle either. She holds in the grumbling sigh she desperately wants to let out, but rolls her eyes and pads down the hall toward the noise.

She entered the kitchen doorway as quietly as she could, arms folded, leaning against the wall as her eyebrow raises up, merely watching the mess before her. Rick had at least three bottles of alcohol in his arms, two of them in varying states of being opened while one was still shut tight. He was bent over, digging through the large fridge, grumbling and hiccuping to himself about random nonsense that she couldn't quite make out. With a snap of the fingers, a medium sized glass flew from the cupboard to her hand, to which she holds it up. "I hope you're not planning to drink straight from the bottle; that alcohol is worth more than your life."

Rick jumps and whirls around. "Jesus, kid. Trying to give me an early heart attack?" He glances at the bottles in his arms, then the glass in hers, and elbows the fridge shut. "I think you'd be surprised how much I'm worth."

"Hmm. Perhaps; after all, a Rick working for an insane demon is already pretty dangerous. God knows what kind of weird alien bounty you have on your head." She walks over to a nearby table, taking a seat on the chair and setting her glass down. "Did you stop by just to fuel your inevitable hangover?"

"It is a good excuse." He walks over and puts his bottles down, taking a chair next to her. "There were some other things, though."

She twirls her finger and the cork of the nearest bottle flies off with a quiet pop. "Was it the fact you had to smuggle the agents out with nothing but a stolen truck full of hay bales?"

"Eh, has to do with them." He picks the bottle up and peers inside, then tips it back into his mouth. "I'm betting they'll have some people sent down here in a day or so. It's gonna freak the townspeople, so the schedule needs to be moved forward."

She snaps her fingers rapidly, causing his hair to frizz up, sticking out in random place. "Hey, hey! What did I just say? No drinking from the bottle!" She then sighs before lifting up her glass to him, a sign she wanted it to be filled. "So, things are even more hurried then they already are? Shit, that's just perfect. If Mabel can't find and recover the sword, we're dead meat."

He jumps up at the slight shock, tossing his bottle onto the table - and somehow managing to land it properly - and frantically pats at his hair. "Holy shit, you're making me look like one of them!" He narrows his eyes at her words and the look on her face. He grabs his bottle and fills her glass, then grabs another from the cabinet and fills that one. "Yeah, I don't think Mabel can."

"Well, guess I shouldn't bother with a last will and testament, should I?" Pacifica's expression drops slightly, into a thin line between depressed and apathetic, before she downs her drink in one go, sighing at the soft burning in her throat. "..Heh. Glad to see you Ricks have a nice booze taste. And here I was thinking you all just drink down vodka till your throats look like sponges."

"Yeah. Thanks." He sits down. "I'm not s-saying the sword can't be recovered, though. Quite the opposite, actually."

"Do you even know where it is? Because we have no leads, not a one, not after Gideon screwed up and became Bill's main target."

"Well, have you thought about the Manotaurs? Or the Multibear? They usu-usually have something to do with this place, and last I heard, Ol' Fordsy was trying to keep them as far away from town as possible."

Her nose wrinkles in distaste, and she reaches for the bottle to pour herself another drink. "Oh God..Those guys will be nothing but trouble."

Rick snatches the bottle and refills their glasses. "In the worst case, I can just kill them all and grab the sword. Shouldn't be all too hard."

"..Yeah, you got a point, I guess." She shrugs, before downing the drink again.

He watches her for a moment, then sighs and pours himself another glass. "Your 'parents' are idiots, by the way."

She stares for a moment, then lets out a slight scoff, grinning in a way that was anything but pleasant. "What brought you to that fucking conclusion, Sherlock? Was it the bars on my window? Was it the fact that a 13 year old is drinking down scotch like an Irish drunkard on good ol' St. Patricks day? Or maybe it was the basement they locked me into whenever I "embarrassed" them, or "being a uppity brat that refused to listen"? Go ahead, tell me, I'm fucking listening." Her hand was clenching the glass so hard it was starting to tremble, and the air seemed to start to shimmer around her body, like that of a mirage in the desert heat.

He stays quiet for a moment, taking a sip from his glass. "All of the above. Helps I know a thing or two about abusive parents."

...The tension seems to drain from her body, and the air fades back to normal, hand relaxing it's grip on the glass. Her grin fades, and she sighs, lifting a hand up to rub her face. "..I know this seems like a stupid question, but..Is..Is it possible to be..happy? Like, can you even be happy after shit like this? And I'm not just talking about my parents, I also mean, like, the town? Can I actually grow and move past all of this fucked up shit after this is over, even if I end up surviving at all? Knowing that most of the entire world was wishing for the literal end to come, ready to go to the most insane and horrible levels to ensure the literal rapture from coming down to turn everything into fire and brimstone. Knowing that my own family, my friends, were dedicated to this cause and that they would slit my throat the moment that bastard triangle gave the word? KNOWING THAT EVEN IF I DO SURVIVE, EVEN IF I MANAGE TO MAKE IT OUT, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMEONE OUT THERE WANTING TO HUNT ME DOWN LIKE A DOG AND KILL ME BECAUSE I REFUSED TO BECOME NOTHING MORE THAN A BRAINWASHED TOOL LIKE THEM?"

She was shaking at this point, tears pouring down her face, hands desperately trying to cover her eyes as she fought to not start sobbing. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her emotions upending like a tipped bucket of water, and she felt tempted to smack the bottle of scotch off the table for causing this nigh explosive scene.

Rick rightfully moves the bottles of liquor away from her reach and, after a moment of awkward shifting, pulls his chair a little closer. "Ok, so, uh, I'm not really one for - for touchy-feely shit, but I know that - that most every universe Bill gets to manages to, uh, rebuild itself. Usually for the better. Like, uh, this one universe actually st-stopped brainwashing people. That's cool. And in this other one, you became some kind of Lara Croft with the twins to protect the world from dangerous artifacts."

"..And how the fuck is that supposed to make me feel better? Great, I get to lead all these fun lives in other timelines, but in this one, I'm doomed to die no matter what! Great, I feel fucking fantastic now!" She rubs her eyes, before trying to tug one of the bottles towards herself.

"All those timelines led the same life you're living now. You'll be fine. You always live."

She pauses in her attempt to recover the scotch, her hand outstretched in the air, as if frozen. She finally lets her head rest on the table, letting out a shaky sigh. "...Those are all timelines that have already played out, ran their course. Unless you have some weird deity power, I don't think you can tell me what the outcome is here..."

He empties his glass and reaches for the bottle she had been going for. "Well, I know gods who call me a god, so...."

"Shut up.." She lifts up a fist to punch him in the arm, weakly so, not really wanting to hurt him.

He chuckles. "Seriously, though, I'm the smartest guy in the multiverse. I know a thing or two."

"No offense, but being the smartest man doesn't say much if there are literally millions of you."

"A lot of me are stupid assholes."

"..Heh. Glad to hear you admit it."

"Whoa, wait. I'm not - I'm not a stupid asshole; they are." He points at her. "You should know that I'm one of the few sane ones out there who properly disrespect the government."

"Aren't you technically working for the government in those business meetings with Preston?"

"Pfft. Yeah, right. I pay him to keep this place running, and nothing more. Makes sure the townspeople don't go SUPER crazy."

"Hmm...I guess that's fair." She wipes at her eyes again, sighing.

"Yeah. Might wanna keep those - those gloves close, by the way. Things are gonna fall apart soon."

"..Noted. But here's my question; when the time comes, which one will you be?"

"Which side?" He raises a brow. "I'm not on a side. Everyone involved is a bunch of idiots." He slugs down a full glass, the act almost defensive. He reaches for the next bottle.

"Have to know which one, Rick. Or else I'll probably just kill you on sight. Can't risk it."

"I can assure you I'm definitely not on Bill's."

"..How do I know? Sure, you helped me, but you also helped my dad. You worked with Ford in the past too, at least from what he's told me."

"I also destroyed his portal, which, you know, kept him from being able to bring Bill here thirty years ago. And I'll be helping you get the sword."

"..Fine." She sighs again. "Don't make me regret this."

"Everyone regrets everything, sunshine."


	26. The Unexcpected Arrival (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long! Hope we get to see a lot of love for this one! The story may be drawing to it's end soon...

The sun was shining through the glass of the attic window, bright enough to wake Dipper from his slumber, his eyes squinting heavily as the brightness brings him momentary pain. He shifts and squirms in protest against the light, still feeling fatigued from the hours spent interrogating Gideon, but eventually, he opens his eyes, body sitting up in an almost robotic fashion. "Ugh.."

He blinks blankly at the wall in front of him, then sighs and rubs his eyes. He might be accustomed to long nights of little sleep, but it had definitely been a taxing few days. Physically and mentally, if he's honest. He slides his legs out from his covers, taking a moment to stare at the empty bed across the room. His mind, slowly waking up from the haze of sleep, couldn't help but think about the confrontation last night, of Mabel, sitting before him, dirtied and shaken from the agent's assault, driven to tears, begging to leave the town, to leave Bill. It was...concerning, to say the least, how she seemed so desperate to have the both of them leave...

_"...If my theory is true, and...the Axolotl has the capacity of peering into this world...Mabel...she could be.."_

He shakes his head. Ford didn't know what he was talking about. Mabel and he are inseparable. They always do things together! And sometimes they need some time apart, like... Like almost this entire summer. Maybe he should have just talked to her some more, stopped her from leaving and offered to take her somewhere, like the mall or the movie theater. He stands, stretching, and collects his clothes for the day. He'll find her and they'll talk a little bit more. Even if it's the last thing they do. Honestly, Ford can suck it if he wants him to ditch his own sister. He wasn't THAT much ofa psychopath.

He manages to get dressed, just as he became acutely aware of the fact that voices, distant, muffled, were coming from the outside. Frowning, he leans against the glass, eyes narrowing as he tries to spot what is going on. He almost chokes on a sharp inhale as he sees several vehicles parked between Ford's house and Stan's shack. He pulls back, instinctively crouching below the windowsill as he coughs and forces deep breaths through his system.

_Think, think, think. Calm down. Two black cars. One maroon. Four obvious government agents talking to Ford and Stan. How!? Why!?_

He almost slammed his head into the wall. The two agents. He just left them there and they somehow got out! That stupid Gideon.... He slowly rises again, more cautiously glancing through the window. Ford did not look happy at all. Stan looked confused, but not all too hostile. He wasn't saying much, though. The doors to the third car open and his fingernails dig into the pillows decorating the windowsill. Yes, he recognizes those two. He knows them all too well. "Not good. Not good at all."

He tears away from the window, running towards the door, grabbing his backpack as he skids by, running down the stairs as fast as he can. Can't go through the front; they'd see him, he has to sneak out to the back. Get to the back, get into the forest, find Mabel, and hide. Where would he hide? He can't just find someone from the cult. The cave was out the question; the agents could search the forest and find it easily. Where then? Did Ford ever have any-

He immediately stops dead, freezing in place as visions flash through his head, of a secret area hidden beneath the ground. Perfect. "Good thinking, Ford." He relaxes a little, relieved to know where he's going, and slips outside the door. After a moment of hesitation - will they see him? Are they distracted enough? - he darts off into the woods.

\--

Mabel couldn't help but stare down at the gem-encrusted shield that was in her hands, sighing heavily as she gazed into the now still, almost lifeless eyes of Squeaky, his figure looking as if it was perfectly built into the frame she had been trying to repair. Her backpack was heavy against her back, and she feels the fabric shift from within as a open zipper is tugged at, and she frowns in slight annoyance. "Could you stop squirming in there? It's getting annoying."

"Well, sorry. This thing isn't very comfortable." Lotl glances to the side in a vain attempt at looking at her. "He'll be fine, kid."

"Are you sure? I mean, he's trapped inside a magic shield just so it can somehow offer better protection, and yet I still need hair from a unicorn in order to make it work. Is he alive? Does he have any conscience? Is he even there?" She sighs again, tucking the shield to her chest. "..This is just crazy.."

"When you get the unicorn hair and attach it to the shield, he'll be able to communicate with you," Lotl says. "That's all I can really tell you at this point."

She frowns, but nods, eyes darting left and right as she walks past the many trees of the forest floor. "Right..."

Lotl shifts a bit more again, trying to get a glimpse of the outside without his hat or head peeking through. "Trust me, kid, I don't like the fact we have to get that stuff either."

"Are we getting close? I feel  
like we've been walking for ages."

"You'll know it when you see it; a giant chasm is pretty hard to miss."

She frowns, but continues walking in silence. Her eyes fall back onto her shield and Squeaky's unfailingly joyful visage.

"..So, after you went back to Stan's house...How did your brother react? He must've been worried."

"He... Yeah, he was worried. Really worried. Worried enough that he almost killed himself trying to figure out if I got hurt or not." She relates the details of Dipper's bloody face and confession of using a spell. "He wasn't even fazed by it."

"Damn...He's that far gone already?"

"He's convinced Bill will make everything better," she sighs.

"..Yes, this particular Bill has always had a way with words. That silver tongue of his has persuaded billions to follow his symbol." There was a moment of silence, as if Lotl was remembering something unpleasant. "..But maybe there's some hope yet."

Mabel laughs once, sardonic. "Must not be much when kids have to be the ones fighting." She clutches the shield closer and pauses her stride. "I think I see it."

Lotl goes still, before slowly peeking out of the backpack, blinking at the sight of a large chasm in the ground a good mile away. "..Yup, there it is."

"It really is massive." She continues toward the strip of broken land. A few trees stood along its edge, rooted haphazardly through semi-loose soil. Curious, seemingly glimmering flowers dotted the grass along their trunks.

"Yeah, it was meant to be that way, otherwise the tunnels wouldn't fit." Lotl finally squirms out of the bag, hopping to the ground, his wings flaring out and fluttering, a few feathers all ruffled, in disarray. "So, we're gonna need to cut down one of those trees. Make a boat, kind of."

"Maybe we can push one over," she offers. She pulls her bag in front of her and, after a moment of hesitation, slides the shield inside the largest pouch.

"Perhaps..They don't look very sturdy.." Lotl walks over to one and pushes against it, testing how firmly it clings to the soil.

It gives a good inch before properly resisting his force. Mabel walks over. "Are there many earthquakes around here?"

"There used to be, back when the manotaurs were still running rampant around the forest." He glances up past the chasm, humming for a second. "..Though we are near the entrance of their territory, so, if this was their doing somehow, I wouldn't be surprised."

Mabel hums, then braces herself against the tree. "Well, let's get this thing down there."

"Ok. On three...1...2...3!" Lotl shoves as hard as he can, wings flaring, flapping furiously.

Mabel pushes against the tree, shoes sliding slightly on the ground. The tree wobbles precariously as the two push, before finally, with loud, harsh snapping sounds, the roots begin to rip free of the trunk, leaving the rest to teeter off the edge of the cliff. Lotl immediately lifts himself up with his wings, going to grab Mabel under her arms. "Hold on tight, ok?"

Mabel nods as she steps back from the remains of the tree. "Ready when you are."

With a grunt, Lotl slowly heaves himself and her into the air, his wings flapping harshly, clearly showing some form of strain. "Dear God, kid! Eat some broccoli or something!" He slowly, in a wobbly fashion, begins to descend into the chasm.

"Hey, I do! And it's muscle. Stop fat shaming." She clutches his arms tightly as they spiral down.

"Coming from Ms. 'I Eat Sugar-Coated Pizza!" Lotl huffs as he tries to keep Mabel from slipping, her shoes starting to brush the bark of the log.

She huffs, but strains to stabilize herself on the log. Slowly, they settle, and Lotl plops onto the log and exhales in exhaustion. "Ok...The river should be a steady line once we enter the tunnel. We just gotta...look out for pink gemstones; that's where the Unicorns hid from Ford when he...tried to purge them." He tucks his wings back in, smoothing down the feathers.

"Kill them," she corrects. "You can say 'kill.' I know what you're talking about."

Lotl blinks, before sighing. "He tried to murder them all in cold blood because their hair possesses abilities even a Bill can't get past, and also because they're fucking annoying. Happy now?"

She exhales and looks aside. "I just meant you don't have to tiptoe around me."

"Was never trying to, kiddo. I'm not exactly like most adults you've met, so you don't need to worry about tiptoeing or secrets or any of that bullshit." He snaps off a sturdy looking branch off the tree, using it to start rowing.

She sighs and looks around the area,eyes briefly narrowed. The chasm seemed to slowly narrow further and further, the light brown hue of the soil slowly fading into the dull silver of rock and mineral, indicating how deep this thing fully ran. A few axolotls were swimming by, carried by the raging current, seeming to glance and flick their frills in greeting as they went past. One leapt over Lotl's makeshift oar as it jabbed into the water, causing the triangle to blink rapidly, before sighing. "Damn lizards..."

Mabel watches them curiously, holding her bag close. "Dipper said they're really rare or something."

"Not up here they aren't. I'm sure you've guessed by now, but this place is a war zone ready to explode. The town and a large portion of the entire human population is controlled by Bill, while the vast, unknown monsters that lie just beneath perception, those follow the Axolotl. They're all waiting for the signal, for the Day, and when it finally comes.." He pauses, looking downward. "This place, this planet, this universe...It's going to die."

She chuckles quietly. "Die? How can a universe die?"

"Lots of ways; there's heat death, where all the stars in all the galaxies surrounding all the planets in the known cosmos just...fade, snuff themselves out, leaving behind nothing to use to rebuild, a cold black void filled with the empty husks of what used to be a massive, almost infinite system of life and death. There's also the more cosmically accepted definition, where, wether by use of magic or by scientific means, the entirety of the universe is just...wiped out, in an instant. No dead stars, no decaying planets, just...instantaneous nothingness." His wings ruffle slightly, his eye gliding slowly around, as if taking in the sights for the first time.

"And, of course, there's the instance when a Bill manages to get his claws on the universe. It's not exactly the fastest of processes, and it doesn't always have a 100% success rate, especially considering Bills are...well, pretty known. But once one manages to make it past the barrier of space/time separating him from you...There's no hope anyway. Bills...they have a special way of doing things; rather than instantly erase all that a universe contains or drain it of all energy, like most malevolent cosmic entities, they tend to...chip away at its foundations. Corrupt the entire thing, turn it on it's head, twist the fabric of reality that bounds it as a plane of existence, until it becomes broken. Shattered like glass, leaving behind nothing but a lawless ball of pure chaos, with no rhyme or reason left, until it can't even be defined as...as a place anymore. People either die or become so twisted they become broken, disheveled, amalgamations of pure insanity that follow Bills like headless chickens. It's...madness...Pure, unadulterated, madness.."

He seems to blink, realizing that his skin was beginning to ooze a black, sinister smog, and quickly snuffs it out with a frantic flap of the wings, eye wide with worry. "Shit, I, uh..I didn't mean-"

"No, it's...it's fine." Mabel shakes a little, face pale. "You're being honest. I - need to know this."

Lotl sees the fear in her face, and looks away, his claws digging into the branch, sighing deeply. Of course she was scared; he was a Bill. Always had been, always will be, no matter what.

"He wants to do that, doesn't he? Take over and destroy our dimension?"

"..Yes, he does. But, for some reason, it won't be just...this dimension. That's the thing; this Bill has always been unnaturally lucky, at least when it comes to the cosmic sense. Plans always work out exactly how he wants them to be, he always stays out of sight, always manages to have vital pieces land in his favor. Think of the flow of the timeline as a computer, and he's manipulating the code in a way that..just can't be done, yet he's somehow pulling it off. Either Dipper or Ford or neither join Bill, it's never both. Never both at the same time. It's an outlier, it's an outcome that just...doesn't happen." As Lotl talks, the river begins to slowly dip downward, and the light of the sun up above gets dimmer and dimmer. The axolotls flowing by begin to glow, decorated with bioluminescent spots.

Lotl rows a bit faster now, more decisively, to the point where the log begins to visibly drift in a certain direction. As it grows completely dark, his wings, his body, light up with gold and blue hues, accentuated with white from the cracks. "He's essentially causing a glitch in the system. And if this Bill, with that kind of power, gets into this world..." He pauses, before sighing. "Well...We aren't sure, despite our best efforts."

There was a long pause before Mabel spoke again, sounding much less fearful than before. "We'll take him down."

"How can you be so sure?" Lotl glances back to look at her, his eye turned down in a frown.

She grins in the dim light, the uncertainty still in her eyes, but grinning nonetheless . "Because this time we have you helping us."

He stares for a few moments, then chuckles, his frown fading into a grin. "Heh..Nice to see you still have optimism. Hold onto that, ok?"

"As long as I get to keep my glitter too," she jibes.

"Heh, yes, you can keep your glitter." He turns back to row again, the roaring of the river now growing quite loud.

Mabel blinks before hunkering down on the log, preparing for a fall of some kind. Hopefully her backpack would stay on her back. Lotl pauses before tossing the branch away, where it was swallowed up by darkness. "Ok, you, uh...might want to hold on."

Just as he says that, the log suddenly dips down, and the raging water explodes all around them in a horrid roar that leaves Mabel's ears ringing. She bites back a scream as she clings to the log's surface as best she could, able to feel the makeshift boat being thrashed and tossed around like nothing more than a toy, the loud, splintering cracks of the wood hitting what could only be rocks ringing in her head like crashing war drums. It was archaic, terrifying, like a pitch black abyss threatening to swallow her whole, and all she could do was close her eyes and scream.

There was a loud thump, before her body was suddenly free of the dizzying vortex, free of the crashing river, before her body was submerged in cold, and water filled her mouth, invaded her nostrils, her ears, everything. She thrashes, flailing her arms to gain some kind of balance, swearing she could feel herself sinking, spiraling, downwards, down, down, down, swamped in a sea of nothingness, of pure void, stuck there, helplessly watching as the water around her was swamped with bubbles.

Mabel suddenly felt a harsh yank on her sweater, and her head breached the surface. She spat up water and began to cough, harsh, horrid coughs that left her gasping for air. She dimly felt herself being pulled through the water like a deadweight, until the barest hint of solid ground brushed against her battered limbs. Her instincts seem to flicker on as she manages to crawl her way up onto what felt like a rocky ledge, collapsing as she resumed her coughing fit, eyes clenching shut, the chill of the water seeping into her bones.

"Are you alright, milady?"

It took Mabel a few moments to respond, shaking vaguely as the hacking fit ran it's course, her lungs heaving in an effort to expel all the water, her muscles burning with fatigue. "A..bit..waterlogged.." She lifts a hand to wipe her mouth, panting heavily as she slowly regains her breath. "..But I think I'm ok...Thank you.."

As she sits up properly, she sees what appears to be a boy about her age with long, dark hair hovering at the edge of a lake. The log she had been floating on bobs haphazardly near a waterfall's roiling bottom. The boy moves forward, though he doesn't move his arms. "Are you sure you are alright? That fall is..." He glanced back at the log. "Quite a fall."

She blinks slightly at the sight of the boy, but she offers a soft grin. "Heh...I like to think I'm tougher than I look. I'm..I think I'm fine. Hopefully hypothermia isn't enough to keel me over." She looks down at herself, noting her socks were shredded, as was her sweater, and any visible skin was covered in bruises or cuts. She frowns slightly, a bit annoyed at how easily she was falling from high places these days. She blinks suddenly, remembering that she hadn't been alone, looking around. "Uh..Lotl? Lotl??"

The boy blinks. "Lotl's with you? Was he - give me a moment." He turns and dives into the water, a scaled fish tail flapping in the air for a moment before disappearing.

The splash had Mabel wincing away, not wanting to get soaked any further, and as a result, it took her a moment to fully process what she just saw. She sat there, practically slack-jawed, in the dim boom of the distant waterfall that she had toppled from. "...Did I just fucking get rescued by a merman?"

A head pops up from the water and the boy lifts the little triangle over his head. "Found him!"

Said triangle was also sopping wet, his hat, wings, and poncho all sagging from the weight of the water trapped within them, dripping with thin rivulets that rang out as they dropped back into the lake. His light flares up again as he began squirming, illuminating the cavern further, revealing large, blackened vines that almost resemble tree roots all across the walls and ceiling, as well as the sparse patch of rocks Mabel sat on. He clutched the backpack in his claws, wings flapping furiously as he kicked outward, trying to wriggle free from the merman's grip. "Mermando, put me down! I can't drown, you know that!"

The merman chuckles good-naturedly. "You've gotta be tired, though."

"...Shut up and get me to the rocks." He grumbles, ceasing his squirming, wings folding. "Why are you here anyway? Dropping off new supplies, or are you here trying to get in?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He swims to shore, setting him on solid ground.

Lotl sighs as he's finally placed down, setting the bag next to Mabel. "Sorry about that, kid; haven't been down this route in a while so I forgot about the sudden drop."

She smiles uneasily, letting out a slight laugh. "It's, uh, it's fine. I'm getting used to falling from high places." She glances at Mermando, sticking out her hand. "Uh..I'm Mabel. Mabel Pines. I'm..trying to find unicorn hair."

He blinks at her hand, then at her, and then shakes her hand. "There definitely are a few unicorns around here. They might be hiding, though."

"Wouldn't be surprised; our entrance wasn't exactly quiet." Lotl has removed his poncho and was now attempting to wring it free of water, the rest of his body now exposed, full of cracks as expected. However, there was one odd feature; a bluish-black indent, right in the center of what could only be thought of as his chest, shaped like an upside down triangle. The indent looked..deep, like Mabel could stick her finger into it if she tried, and was glimmering with stars like a nebula.

Mabel blinks softly, not expecting such a sight, but restrains from asking. Instead, she merely tugs her bag back onto her back, shifting almost uneasily. "Uhh..How do we get to the unicorns if we're stuck in a lake?"

Lotl, who was still wringing his poncho, flaps his wings once or twice in an attempt to air them out. "Simple; Mermando's buddies down below are gatekeepers. If they know I'm here, they'll drain it just enough for us to reach the main entrance."

"So there's a crack in the ground, which has a river, which leads to a lake, which is covering the main entrance?"

"Yup, pretty much. Security is pretty tight through this path; it kind of has to be." Lotl finally slides his poncho back on, visibly squirming as its still incredibly damp. "This place we're heading into, it's...well, it's basically a military base."

"Military? Like soldiers?" She frowns. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but...."

"Well, not military in the conventional sense. It's much more...archaic than that." Lotl gives a soft chuckle. "You'll see."

"Okay...?" She shifts a little, shivering from the cold.

"Hmm, we should get you inside. Mermando?" Lotl turns to face him, gesturing to the water. The merman gives a thumbs-up before diving back into the water.

"Mermen are real." Mabel turns to stare at Lotl.

"Yes, Merman are real. Been warring with the manatees for years before they came together under the Axolotl's cause." Lotl smirks slightly, chuckling a bit. There was a slight rumble, before the water slowly began to drain away, revealing the beginning of what looked to be stairs at the edge of the rocks they were sitting on.

"Warring with manatees?"

"I I know humans call manatees "sea cows" but that's only because they don't know they're the ones responsible for Atlantis disappearing."

"What." She stares at him, deadpanned.

Lotl just smiles, chuckling a bit harder, not saying a word. The lake drains more, now only half-full, revealing more blackened roots creeping along the walls.

"What is that stuff?" Mabel raises a hand to point at the roots.

"Oh, those are Ember Tree roots. They kind of stretch across the entire area, sapping the magic away from the soil. You'll see the whole thing when we get inside."

"Oh. Okay." She stares at the roots for a moment, then shakes her head. "Wait. They sap magic?"

"Yes, they do; it's required in order for us to see and interact with allies beyond the barrier. The magic is drained away, thus the magnetism of the barrier weakens because there's nothing there holding it together completely. We keep it all underground, though, so there's no chance of Ford finding out." Lotl rises to his feet just as the lake turns into nothing more than a shallow puddle, a huge cavern being revealed below, crawling with those same roots. "And there it is, the main entrance to Salvation Prime."

"That's what you call it?" Mabel stands, hugging herself. "Kinda sounds lame."

Lotl sighs, his expression melding into that of irritation. "I wasn't the one who named it."

The two descend into the revealed cavern, shivering from their soaked clothes. The roots are surprisingly stable as Mabel walks along them. There was also a vague sort of warmth seeping into her shoes, just barely enough for her to notice.  
Lotl was still fluffing his wings as they enter the cavern, to which a rock slate slowly covers up the entrance behind them, the water rushing back in to refill the lake. At first, everything is dark, but then, as they walk, the roots begin to glow with magenta cracks and etchings.

"These things are really neat. What are they called again?" Mabel follows a root's progress along the wall next to her as they walk.

"Its the roots of an Ember Tree. Giant trees formed from the flames of inhabitable red stars."

"How'd it get here?"

"One of my friends planted it here. It was a tree from her home, and she always held onto some seeds. This was her last one." He lets a soft smile drift on his face as he affectionately pats a glowing root.

"Oh, I didn't know you had friends around here."

Lotl grins slightly, chuckling. "Yeah, they're a bit rowdy, but they mean well."

"Sounds like fun!" She grins widely. "Can I meet them?

"Maybe, if they're here; sometimes they go out to lend aid in major battles."

"Battles are already happening!? Shouldn't I have known about that?"

"Not here. They're kind of scattered all over, usually in remote areas humans don't know about." The cracks in the roots begin to glow brighter, larger, until the cavern was fully illuminated by magenta. Distant echoes of metal clanking, voices chattering, and bestial roaring could be heard now.

"No way we could've told you; I had to remain in hiding, and it isn't like McGucket knows about this place."

"Why doesn't he know?"

"Too easy of a target for Ford and his followers. After all, he is up above, and in the general vicinity of the town. We send some axolotls to keep him aware and sane, but we have to keep him in the shadows." There was a large light up ahead, almost blinding.

Mabel flinches, raising a hand over her eyes. "Geez."

"Yeah, it's...It's something alright." They finally walk through the exit and the supposed base was finally seen, a massive, gaping cavern. The rock walls, a faint silver, were coated in those giant roots, trailing across the floor, the ceiling, buried deep in the soil, shining, glowing like lava was flowing within it. Creatures of all shapes and sizes, traveling alone or in tight knit packs, were darting to and fro, floating through the air, crawling across the ground, slithering along the walls, many of them wearing armor or robes that displayed blue wings. Buildings, some crudely made shacks, others of solid stone, were scattered all around, selling food, weapons, potions and elixirs. Despite being underground, there was a warmth to this place that Mabel hadn't quite felt for quite some time. Well, that and it was REALLY warm. The roots were getting thicker the further away they trailed, and, in the distance, she could make out a glowing tree in what must have been the center of the base. It's trunk pulsated a golden color, each throb sending a wave of heat through the place.

Lotl smirks as he gestures towards the sight of it all, chuckling. "It's a bit much the first time around, eh?"

"I'm gonna hug that tree."

Lotl blinks, but then lets out a laugh, grinning in an amused fashion. "Yeah, I suppose it would warm us up a little. Come on, I'll lead the way." He starts walking through the crowds, many of the monsters immediately moving out of his way.

"People really know you, don't they?" Mabel shifts a little as she observes all the monsters glancing at her as they move, before quickly catching up to the little triangle.

"Well, I kind of have a pretty big status around.." He trails off as soon as the ground begins to shake, not enough to jostle anyone, but enough to have him lift off the ground slightly. The shaking gets louder, more vigorous, until both of them see a large pink ball barreling towards them at break-neck speed, literally trampling those who aren't fast enough to get out of the way. Mabel squints upon noticing the commotion, but then yelps and leaps out of the way.

Lotl doesn't move however, and ends up being bulldozed by the pink ball, which finally skids to a stop, revealing its not a ball at all, but a 10 foot tall demonic being that was currently clutching Lotl close and swinging him around in a colossal bear hug. "AAAAAAAAH!!! OOOOH, LOTL, YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU WERE COMING BACK!"

"Didn't exactly have time to tell you. Or the ability to. Where's everyone else?"

The hulking demoness finally ceases her screeching, before reaching up and seating Lotl on the top of her head, between two massive horns. "Oh, I think they're off gathering supplies. Either that or kicking asses. Heheh, we all missed you, buddy." She finally seems to notice Mabel, and suddenly shrieks, her body suddenly consumed entirely with white flame. "EEEK!! LOTL, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THERE WERE KIDS AROUND?!"

"You never gave me the chance to say anything about it!"

"...Fair enough." She flashes a toothy smile at Mabel, seeming apologetic. "Sorry about that, sweetie. I would've covered myself up before I came running down here."

"Um. It's, uh, it's alright." She grins lightly, feeling a bit nervous.

She bends down to face her at eye level, her her head at least as big as half of Mabel's entire torso, holding out a clawed hand, rippling with white hot flames. "Name is Pyronica, pumpkin. Ronnie, for short. Who are you? I.." Her eye narrows for a second, as if in suspicion. "...don't recall seeing you around here.."

"I'm Mabel. Mabel Pines." She hesitantly takes her hand.

Ronnie shakes her hand slowly, careful not to burn her, before she pulls her hand away, expression pulled into a slight grimace, like she was trying really hard to think, but it just wasn't coming out right. Lotl quickly knocks against a horn with a fist, smirking a bit. "Hey, Ronnie. Mind if we stop by the Tree? We kind of took a tumble down the waterfall."

The demoness's face twists back to normal, and she grins again, nodding. "Sure thing!" Her eye flicks to Mabel, before the grin grows wider.

Lotl knocks on her horn again, glaring down at her sternly. "Ronnie.."

"I wasn't going to do it, calm down!" She huffs up at the triangle before glancing at Mabel again. "Mind if I pick you up?"

"Um, no, I guess?" Mabel still looks a touch skittish, eyes darting to and fro.

"Are you sure? I can take you to the Ember Tree faster than just by walking."

"Oh, sorry, I meant that I didn't mind."

She blinks, then grins even wider. "Oh, well, in that case, hold on!" She suddenly grabs Mabel and holds her bridal style before taking off toward the Tree in a full-tilt sprint, the ground cracking and shaking with every foot step and causing the locals to scatter, lest they get trampled again. It seems to last for an eternity before the demoness skids to a halt at the trunk of the tree, which was...a lot bigger than it seemed to be from far away. The branches were towering, as large as a two story house, and covering each thin, wiry end were glowing leaves, all of them smoldering and crackling like a hearty fire, glimmering and shimmering with colors of all kinds. The bark was a faint grey, riddled with etchings and grooves, each crack in the wood seeming to slide back and forth between reds, blues, greens, and yellows, mixing and swirling to the point where staring at it was almost hypnotizing. The air was visibly trembling with the heat it was letting off, to the point where just standing a foot away felt like standing under a red light. Pyronica slowly puts Mabel down gently, smiling as she twirls around and sighs, resting her back on one of the enormous roots. "Ahh...Feels nice, right?"

"Waaarm...." Mabel attaches herself to the tree, letting the water in her clothes steam away. "Why is water so cold?"

Pyronica chuckles softly, smirking. "I dunno, hun, but I hate it. You hungry?"

"Starving." Her stomach growls as she slides down the tree trunk.

The demoness's face lights up in an even wider grin, and she chuckles, not even minding as Lotl leaps off her horns to take a seat at Mabel's side, taking off the poncho and pressing it against the bark. She stands up, before jumping onto the nearest branch, gripping the leaves and giving them a good shake. "Well, how about you try a Gem Gell?"

Several crystalline orbs fall out of the branch, making almost hollow thud sounds as they hit the ground. Upon closer look, they almost resembled apples, each of them being so big Mabel had to hold it with two hands. "Whoa... These things are massive!" She shakes one a little, fascinated by how the fruit seemed almost akin to jello despite it's crystalline appearance.

"Go ahead and try one. They're great!" Ronnie picks up at least three and tosses them all down her gullet without chewing.

She glances it over for a second, shifting it to the side that looks like it won't be mouthful, then bites down. Indeed, behind the thin crystalline surface of the fruit, there was nothing but the remarkably warm taste of gelatin, sugary sweet, and easy to chew. It almost felt like eating a fresh slice of apple pie. It seems to warm the throat as it goes down, and when it hits the stomach, Mabel feels her freezing muscles and lukewarm skin begin to slowly warm up. Lotl himself was digging into his own fruit, his sharp teeth having little to no issue of biting through the shell, his wings ruffling slightly. In fact, Mabel could've sworn she heard the sound of..purring?

She shrugged. Whatever. This stuff was amazing. She bit off another chunk of the apple. Gem gel. "These things have been here my whole life and I never knew about them."

"Yeah, once you taste one, you can't let 'em go." Pyronica tosses one from hand to hand before taking a bite, munching happily before finally plopping down next to her, the impact causing the leaves above to tremble and Lotl to topple over, prompting a spew of alien curses. Ronnie ignores this, shooting a grin at Mabel. "So, what brings you to Salvation Prime, puddin? It isn't every day Lotl brings a newbie back."

"Oh, well, I'm looking for some unicorns to help fix something." She grins in return and samples another bite.

Pyronica blinks before she rolls her eye, groaning in annoyance. "Ugh, those guys. You know they hold themselves up in small cavern chambers just so they don't have to "mingle with the rotten folk"? Seriously, we go and save their asses from certain death, and yet the still have the fucking gall to-to-" She huffs, her body flaring with flame while a billow of smoke erupts from her mouth. "They're just so stupid!" She takes the rest of her respective Gem Gel into her mouth, munching almost bitterly.

Lotl, seeming to have ceased his cursing spiel, glances over at her with a slight look. "Ronnie, do I have to get the broom again?"

"No, no, I'm fine. I'm fine, I'm cool, I'm fine." She waves away the smoke, taking a deep breath or two, before glancing at Mabel. "Sorry, Hun. FireFlies have never been known for a good temper." She snags another Gem Gel from the ground, taking another bite, accidentally spraying goo chunks everywhere when she speak again. "Want me to help you get an audience with them?"

"Um. Sure. Any help is good." She grins again, this time a little unsure.

Lotl looks up, his eye wide with sudden alarm. "Ronnie, DON'T-!"

Within seconds, Pyronica opens her mouth as wide as it can go, raising her arm to shove it down her throat all the way to the shoulder, twisting her jaw to get the whole limb down there, grotesque gagging noises ensuing in the process.

Mabel immediately shrieks. "Oh my god, is that normal!?"

Suddenly, Pyronica pulls her arm all the way out, the flames not even sizzling, the skin visibly dripping with slime. "Perfectly normal! Here you go!" She holds out a handful of red rubies, all of them completely whole, glistening in the light. "Usually Unicorns only see those 'that are pure of heart' whatever the fuck that means, but, point is, it was total bullshit and they don't even bother keeping the farce up. Now all you need are some shiny stuff, which I just happened to have."

Mabel calms down as Pyronica removes her arm. "Oh. Oh, okay. That's all they need?"

"Yup, that's right! Just get one of our eyebats to send it to them, and you should be all set!"

"Cool!" She grins and relaxes a bit. "Nice to know we're making progress."

Lotl sighs and finally peels his poncho away from the tree, putting it back on. "Well, get those stones sent; this isn't exactly a leisurely visit."

Ronnie frowns for a second before smirking mischievously. "Right away, Commander." She suddenly stands and bounces away with a cackle, the rubies still clutched tightly in her fist.

Lotl's wings flare, and he turns red for a few moments, anger sparking in his eye. "STOP CALLING ME THAT!" He then soon sighs, lifting a hand to rub his eye as he returns to normal.

Mabel chuckles. "I like her. Are all your friends like that?"

He blinks, before nodding softly. "Yeah, they're all a bunch of loud, rowdy doofuses....It's why I love them so much." He smiles a bit at that.

"The louder they are, the loyaler they are!" She smiles widely at him, braces on full display.

"..Heh. I suppose that's true." He chuckles a bit.

"These apple things are pretty amazing." She slips the last bits of the gel into her mouth.

"Yeah, I honestly think I blacked out a bit after I tried it for the first time. It was..very odd for me." He shrugs. "3D physics took a long time to get used to."

She blinks and tilts her head, a frown furrowing her brow. "3D...?"

Lotl raises a brow back before he blinks, and then smirks, as if remembering something funny. "Right, you wouldn't know....I'm not exactly from this world, and not in the sense that I'm from another timeline or another alternate universe, I mean, I'm literally from another plane of reality. A reality that doesn't have the same..." He wriggles his claws for a moment, trying to think of the word. "...Depth, as this one. It's..flat, so to speak. Flat and dull, and full of other shape people..Well, it was.."

"Kinda sounds like this Flatland book thing Dipper found out about in Geometry last year. He sorta obsessed over it for a while."

Lotl raises a brow, before sighing. "I'm guessing the other Bill got a bit too drunk around a certain Victorian novelist to make that happen....Not speaking from experience or anything.."

Mabel shrugs, standing and admiring her dry sweater. "Well, anyways, should we go find your friend, uh, Pyronica? It's been a little while."

"No need; it seems she got the desired attention." Lotl sits up and points off into the distance, where she sees an array of what look like glittery beings approaching, marching in unison, with a now familiar pink shape trailing behind. All of the monsters in the nearby crowd were either pushed away by floating spears or they themselves moved, usually accompanied with a scathing glare or two.

"Whoa...." Mabel's eyes go wide. "Is this real?"

"Heh, yeah, it's real. Now, watch what you say, the unicorns are easily offended, and they'll likely keep on whining and moaning that you have to be executed. That won't happen, trust me, but I'd prefer to get that hair bloodlessly." He sighs and gets to his feet just as the beings reach him, revealing them to be row upon row of unicorns, most of them with fur colors of green or blue, their horns glowing visibly with magic, standing guard like royal soldiers, looking down upon her sternly, almost nastily, as if they were disgusted by her very presence. The line slowly split, revealing a white-furred, pink-maned unicorn, who slowly stepped forward.

"..State your business."

"Mabel Pines, here to fix up a shield!" She pulls her backpack around her and opens the top flap. "I just need a little unicorn hair and it'll be done."

The moment Mabel lifts up the flap, exposing the shield, all of the unicorn's eyes widen, and they all collectively gasp, their hooves stomping as they momentarily seem to lose their composure. In fact, all of the monsters within sight all turn to look at her, shock in their eyes, speechless.

"I know, right? It's pretty neat." She grins widely. "It took me ages to bedazzle it in a way that kept it together!"

The main unicorn, presumably the leader, slowly turns around, flicking her tail. "Please, follow me, child."

She smiles and gives Lotl a thumbs up, trotting after the unicorn. "I really like your hair, all of yours. Are the sparkles natural?"

The lines of unicorns slowly shift back into line, blocking Mabel from view even as they began to march away. All of the monsters, Lotl and Ronnie included, all stood there and stared, the former looking incredibly nervous, the latter looking shocked and confused, her jaw hanging open.

"...Ronnie-"

"HOW IS SHE-?!  
I-?! WHA-?! SHE WAS-! WE WERE-! IT WAS-! BACK-!" Clearly she was having trouble forming the words to speak properly.

Lotl's frame suddenly shakes, flaring a haunting black in anger, his broken sclera flashing with iridescent colors, and for a moment, all of the feathers on his wings shrivel and decay. "RONNIE, SHUT YOUR MOUTH, OK?! I DON'T KNOW EITHER, AND CLEARLY SHE DOESN'T EITHER. BUT IF YOU GO AND SAY ANYTHING TO HER, WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING, WHO KNOWS HOW MUCH YOU COULD FUCK UP THE REALMS OF TIME AND SPACE!" His body suddenly turns back to normal as he takes a deep breath, trying to control himself, his temper. "..Just, don't say anything. I don't know how she could be alive or how she got there, but it's clear something weird happened. So..stay quiet, and maybe we'll find out. Ok?"

Ronnie stares for a moment, then nods and swallows roughly. "Yeah. Yeah, sure. How is that possible, though? Is time really that screwed up?"

"..Maybe..Maybe not. Like I said, I don't know..." He sighs, before turning to watch as the unicorns fade from sight. "..All we can do is wait and see."

\--

Mabel bounced and skipped a little alongside the unicorns, intermittently glancing at them and the cave walls. "Where exactly are we going?"

"We're going to the heart of what remains of our home. There, we have exactly what you need." The main unicorn tosses her hair slightly, not even glancing at said walls. They were outside of the main base, and were now enshrouded with crystalline walls, colored a beautiful mixture of blue and green, seeming to glow softly, faint veins of black crawling underneath the thick shell.

"It's very pretty so far." She blinks a little. "Wait. I thought I just needed some unicorn hair."

"No, you need something a little bit more volatile than just that."

"Huh. Lotl didn't tell me that."

The unicorns all seem to snort in haughty distaste. "He's nothing more than a broken husk of what was once a destroyer of worlds, beaten down and broken just enough so that the Axolotl can use him as a pawn to alter the timeline. He may call the shots, but we all know he just is a puppet, a tool, who thinks they can run away from what they've done."

Mabel stares, her grin fading. "What... what are you...?"

"We're saying that you should watch your back, child. Lotl may appear to be an ally, but he is merely serving his own agenda. They always are."

Mabel bites her lip and looks away. "You really can't trust anyone, can you?"

"In this dark world, where it may very well be the end of days, no."

They walk in silence after that, Mabel clutching her bag tighter. After a good ten minutes, there was the sound of a rumble up ahead, specifically, the sound of whinnies, neighs, birds tweeting and other assortments of woodland creatures.   
"Where is this again?" Mabel gets the aching suspicion that they've managed to find another entrance they could have taken to get into the base, though she feels pretty confident that Lotl didn't know.

"It's the sector we've claimed for our own. Our new home, after the Priest came and tried to erase us from the face of the earth." They emerge into a large cavern, one that looks smaller than the main area of the base, the ground covered in plush green grass, flowers, like that of a healthy field. The walls still contained the crystal shell, the roots of the Ember tree pulsing and quivering underneath, while up on the ceiling, a waterfall seeming to come from nowhere was descending down into a large lake, one that was glimmering, clean, and full of fish. Birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and of course, unicorns, were all scattered about, reading, singing songs, looking perfectly content.

"You could almost believe nothing's going on up above," Mabel whispers. There's such a feeling of comfort and ease that almost brings tears to her eyes.This is what she's protecting. Everything rests on her and if she can't fulfill her purpose, everyone... all of this... gone. Just - gone.

The main unicorn merely nods softly, before starting to walk down below, directly toward the lake. All of the residents immediately go dead still, silent, before dropping into a bow. The lake ripples softly, it's waves lapping against the shoreline, where the squadron all comes to a dead stop. Their horns light up, and the waterfall slowly, yet steadily, comes to a stop, fading as if it never existed. Mabel shifts, glancing between the unicorns and the evaporating waterfall for any inkling of sense.

The ground began to rumble ever so slightly, pebbles and loose particles of stone wobbling to and fro at Mabel's feet, just before something visibly began to surface: an old, decayed, stone statue, covered in coral and algae, vaguely depicting a feminine figure, with four arms, and sparkling hair. The arms had clawed fingers at the end, each one cradling strings of vibrant iridescent strings, looping and weaving from their perches, forming into a pattern. A pattern Mabel could detect right away: the knitting design, cat's cradle.

Her eyes shoot wide open. "That's what I need, isn't it? It's better than unicorn hair."

"Yes. They are divine strings, wielded by the Seamstress of Fate. Legends used to be passed down of how our race was spawned by her fingers, our bodies made from wax, and our manes little snippets of the very same strings you see before you now. They are limitless, they are powerful, and because you hold the holy weapons of the Seamstress, they are now yours to wield. Present the shield to it."

She blinks a few times, some unreasonable worry creeping into her system. Taking a breath, she pulls her backpack in front of her and again reveals the shield. Squeaky stares balefully from the surface, and she swallows and takes another breath. Her legs almost move on their own a few feet toward the statue, and her arms heft the shield in front of her.

The statue does nothing, at least for a moment, until one arm, the bottom left one, slowly reaches out toward her, the strings slowly, delicately, weaving out of the grip of other hands, and drifting towards the shield. The strings wrap around it tightly, securely, as if giving it a warm hug, before beginning to creep over Mabel's hands, to loosely wrap around her own fingers, just as the hands of the statue become empty. The unicorns all gasp, and even the main one looks startled. "..You.."

She bites her lip, shifting a little and hesitantly flexing her fingers. The strings flex with her, but we're still somewhat cumbersome to her movement."Um, is this normal?"

"N..No...It means...It means-"

"MABEL!!"

There was a sudden shout coming from the cave's entrance, and everyone whips their heads around to see who caused it. Lotl floated there, eye wide, looking increasingly panicked by the second, wings flapping away. "I-It's your brother! He was spotted at the lake above ground! Pacifica is there!"

"Wh-what!?" She quickly turned, the remnants of the string curling around her fingers and weaving together in braided patterns. The shield glimmered a little in the light of the place. "Are they okay? Are either of them hurt?"

"W-We don't know! All we know is that he's looking for you, and you need to get to him RIGHT NOW!"

In an instant, her backpack is scooped up and she's frantically shoving her shield into it while running to the triangle's side. A few of the strings trail loose from her fingers before rewrapping themselves around her knuckles. "How do we get to him without him seeing you?"

"We'll need to get our Oracle to teleport you to their location, any other way would take too long. Fuck, I hope they don't start fighting; they're a bunch of FBI in the area." He quickly starts flying off, practically dragging Mabel after him.

"Did you say FBI?" She stumbles after him, barely able to keep the pace.

"Yeah. Our scouts saw them pull up this morning. I know I told Pacifica to get the agents, but I don't know if they told the right people. If they start a fucking fight, it could potentially lead Bill's best human forces right to us!"

"Is - is there a way to keep them from starting a fight?"

"You showing up, I'm guessing. It's the best idea I got!" Lotl manages to pull her back to the main area, pulling her back toward the Ember Tree, where a robed figure stood, seemingly waiting for them.

"Who is that?"

"I'm the Oracle." The person flips down their hood, revealing the face of some heron-like creature, blinking at her with reptilian eyes. It's beak seems to turn upwards in a soft smirk.

"Oh, you, uh, look a little different than I remembered."

"Heh, yes, my form tends to change a lot. Please, let us proceed." The Oracle gestures with a wing to step onto a circle of runes, looking to be recently drawn into the ground.

Mabel does as tacitly asked. "This'll get me to them?"

"Indeed it will. Hold still." She kneels down to press her wings to the runes, and begins to chant, spoken in a tongue Mabel cannot understand. Lotl gives her a hopeful thumbs up followed by an awkward smile. She hesitantly returns the smile, feeling a slight tingling in her fingers.

In an instant, the air crashing like thunder, she finds herself suddenly within a dark cave opening, a large insurmountable boulder in front of her, and a large waterfall pouring over the cave entrance behind her. Screaming could be heard outside, very faintly.

She manages to squeeze past the rush of water, and hurries toward the sounds of shouting. "Dipper! Dipper is that you!?"

She sees two figures on the edge of the lake a good few feet away from her. Dipper was looking almost enraged, his hands clenched into fists, fire in his eyes, the eyes engraved into the nearby trees all turned to stare at him. "Why are you looking for my sister?! Why are you here?!

Pacifica was standing close to the water's edge, her eyes narrowed, looking completely stoic, her left hand behind her back, fingers poised to snap. "Like I said before, I'm just trying to get away from the sudden influx of feds around here. Wouldn't want them to get suspicious of my family, right? I don't know where she is, ok? I didn't even know that she left."

"Pacifica! Dipper!" She was finally close enough to be heard over the raging waters nearby. "What's going on?"

Dipper's rage immediately fades, turning into relief and elation as he turns to face her. "MABEL!" He races towards her and gives her a big hug, shaking softly. "Oh thank God, where were you? I was so worried!"

Pacifica slowly drops her hand, staring at them both with a wary gaze, saying nothing.

"Sorry, Dips, I just took a walk." She pulls him close. "Should have told you before I left."

He sniffles for a second, before pulling away, his eyes suddenly wide with worry, with dread. "Mabel...They found us...They're here, with the FBI."

She blinks. "What? Who? It can't be..."

"It is...It's our parents.."

Shock rang through her system and she stood for a moment simply shaking her head. "No. That's not possible. How - how would they have known where we were?"

"I-I don't know..I..I think it was the agents. T-They found out who I was, a-and they must've...W-We gotta go hide, ok?"

Pacifica is wide-eyed, staring slightly. Mabel glances at her for a moment, before nodding at Dipper. "O-Ok..."

He seems to relax a little, taking her hand and starting to jog further into the forest. "Good. Good. I know somewhere we can hide for a while."

Mabel slowly looks back at Pacifica as she walks, before slowly sliding her backpack off her shoulder, and dropping it to the floor.

\--

Dipper didn't care about holding back what little powers Bill had been teaching him. Branches and vines scurried out of his way, making a superb pathway to be nearly dragging his sister through the woods. He kept murmuring apologies as they sunk deeper and deeper into the woods.

Mabel kept quiet, nervously glancing to and fro at the many trees they were passing by, vaguely wondering if Dipper was apologizing to her, or if he was apologizing to him. Her heart was pounding in her chest, a cold chill of trepidation and dread filling her veins. "Dipper, where are we going?"

His words stutter and, for a moment, he's silent. Then, "Ford has a hideout in the forest from way back when. It has a bunch of provisions and everything."

"A..hideout?" Her heart skips a beat, realizing that they had come to a complete stop, in front of what looked to be a random tree.

"Yeah, he was kinda paranoid back then." He drops to the ground looking for something, rising with a rock in hand. "One of the branches is a switch."

She lets her eyes scan the branches, before slowly raising a hand to point at one, seeing the metallic glint peeking out from the paint. "That one."

He cranes his neck back. "Oh, yeah, thanks, Mabes." He pulls his arm back, and then slings the rock at the limb. The limb yanks upward, and the ground begins to rumble, just before a portion of the tree descends, turning into what looks like a creaky old staircase, covered in spider's webs. "This is it." He takes her hand again, leading her toward the staircase.

She bites her lip nervously as they descend into the darkness, the thin metal door slowly creaking open to reveal a large, grimy room, covered wall to wall in weapons, rations, medical kits and various chemicals stored in vials. The moment they step through, the door behind them shuts and the handle swivels, as if sealing itself. She pales slightly at this, looking towards Dipper, the thin artificial light above being the only illumination. "..So..What do we do now?"

"Well, no one should be able to find us, though Ford might know we're here. We should probably just lay low for a little while." He pulls a few drawers open, managing to find a pair of flashlights and some batteries.

"...And how long will that be?" The words slip out before she can stop them, and she can't help but clench her fists, the tone of her voice remarkably cold, sharp, icy. "..How long do we have to hide?"

Dipper stills for a moment, then puts the batteries and unscrews the end of one of the flashlights. "However long we need. Bill can tell me when they're gone."

"They're not going to leave, and you know it." She wasn't facing him, staring at the door. "Knowing them, they've been searching for us this whole time. They found us now, and they won't stop looking until they find us."

"They'll leave. They will leave."

"Bullshit." She finally turns to look at him, her eyes stoic, yet filled with tears. "That is bullshit. The only thing we can do now is run."

"If we run, they'll find us." His shoulders hunching a little, hands shaking as he works with the packaged batteries.

"Not if we leave no trace." She steps forward, a hand going to clasp his shoulder. "We can find someplace else. Find a new home somewhere. I know we can, but we can't do that huddled under the ground. We're sitting ducks here and you know it."

He's silent for a moment, and then turns. "We can't leave. It won't work."

"Neither will staying underground, Dipper." She feels herself tremble, but the words fall from her lips before she can stop them, stinging and bitter like a foul poison. "..You really think Ford's gonna understand? You think he'd keep the location secret when he's staring our parents in the faces? He's not gonna get it. He won't understand how horrible they are, not when they beg him to help them find us. He'll betray us. He'll betray YOU."

"No - I - he's not like that." Dipper grits his teeth. "He'd never give us up. But that's not what I was talking about. We CAN'T leave. Not... not without Bill."

Rage boils deep down in her stomach, and Mabel feels his teeth grit, both hands coming up to grip Dipper's shoulders. She wants to keep calm, she tries to, but she finds her voice getting louder. "Bill isn't here, Dipper. He isn't here and he never fucking will be! He can't help us from here, he can't do anything from here! Are you really going to drag the both of us down just because of your delusional trust in some mystical demon?"

"I'm NOT delusional!" He practically slaps her hands away from him, then flinches back. "He's stronger than you would know. And he can help us here. He's always with me."

The slap was light, barely there, a slight sting across her hands, but it was a sting that rose her blood to a boil. She suddenly grabs him by the collar of his shirt, tugging him close, practically shaking him, as if hoping it would rattle his brain and realign the broken piece so that it could be fixed. "BILL CAN'T DO SHIT, DIPPER! HE'S DONE NOTHING BUT LIE TO YOUR ASS THIS WHOLE TIME! AND NOW BECAUSE YOU CAN'T BREAK OUT OF YOUR LITTLE FUCKING DAYDREAM OF POWER AND MAGIC, WE'RE GONNA BE DRAGGED BACK TO THAT HELLHOLE OF A TOWN WE USED TO CALL HOME!"

She finds herself moving, throwing him to the ground, her anger an outpour, a dam that had been building up this whole time and is only now starting to burst. "FORD, BILL, THE TOWN, NONE OF THEM ARE GONNA STAND UP FOR US! NONE OF THEM ARE GONNA HELP US! IT'S BEEN YOU AND ME, AGAINST THE ODDS! THAT'S HOW IT'S ALWAYS BEEN! WHY THE FUCK WOULD IT SUDDENLY CHANGE NOW?!"

The question hangs in the air as Dipper lays stiffly on the ground, body half-poised to push away from her. A shadow passed over his face. "Because you added ME into the equation, Shooting Star."

All of the anger immediately drains away from her body, from her mind, replaced with icy dread that seemed to freeze her up from the inside, her breath caught in her throat. She took a shaky step back, two, heart pounding in her throat. Her fists clench, and she fights to restrain herself. "..I...G-Get out of him. Get out of him, you bastard."

His head raises, the eyes a brilliant yellow, but he isn't smiling. With a sigh, he stands. "The only reason I'm here is because you frightened him. I'm not leaving him alone with you."   
He then crosses his arms, his expression looking oddly stoic. "Well, and, to be honest, I think it's high time we had a chat, you and me. After all, I'm sure we have a lot to talk about."

"What - what are you talking about?" She takes another step back and bumps into a crate.

This time, a grin does cross his face, twisted, sinister, and somehow the expression looks so at home on the face of her brother. "Oh, quit the facade, kid. I know all about what you're scheming." He takes a step towards her, the grin growing wider, his eyes flashing blue. "Did you seriously think I wouldn't be able to see how things were heading? How the timeline plays out? They call me the All Seeing Eye for a reason, Shooting Star. Nothing escapes my sight."

Her throat clenches around the excuses she wants to give Dipper, small noise escaping as whispers and croaks.

Bipper's eyes seem to roam over to a spot of empty air, and he shrugs, smirking. "Guess I have to spell it out for him." His eyes glance back to Mabel, chuckling softly.

"Shooting Star, I knew you were planning to kill me this whole time."

 


End file.
